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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
(We’ve asked the EU what else it’s concerned about on X and will update this report with any response.)
The bloc has given Musk a deadline of 24 hours to respond to its asks at this point — stipulating his answer will be added to its assessment file on X’s compliance with the DSA. “I remind you that following the opening of a potential investigation and a finding of non-compliance, penalties can be imposed,” Breton adds, concluding the letter.
We’ve asked the Commission to confirm whether it has opened an investigation into X’s DSA compliance over concerns it’s raised in the letter. Perhaps it’s going to wait a day to see what his response is before taking that next dance step.
Musk’s extremely iterative — or just plain erratic/arbitrary — management style is so far from the responsive and responsible qualities the EU’s rulebook demands of digital leaders it’s hard to see how this clash can end well for either side.
We contacted X for a response to the EU’s warnings about its DSA compliance but at press time the company had not responded — beyond firing back its usual automated reply,
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1401
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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
“I remind you that following the opening of a potential investigation and a finding of non-compliance, penalties can be imposed,” Breton adds, concluding the letter.
We’ve asked the Commission to confirm whether it has opened an investigation into X’s DSA compliance over concerns it’s raised in the letter. Perhaps it’s going to wait a day to see what his response is before taking that next dance step.
Musk’s extremely iterative — or just plain erratic/arbitrary — management style is so far from the responsive and responsible qualities the EU’s rulebook demands of digital leaders it’s hard to see how this clash can end well for either side.
We contacted X for a response to the EU’s warnings about its DSA compliance but at press time the company had not responded — beyond firing back its usual automated reply, which reads: “Busy now, please check back later.”
But at the time of writing,
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1402
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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
“I remind you that following the opening of a potential investigation and a finding of non-compliance, penalties can be imposed,” Breton adds, concluding the letter.
We’ve asked the Commission to confirm whether it has opened an investigation into X’s DSA compliance over concerns it’s raised in the letter. Perhaps it’s going to wait a day to see what his response is before taking that next dance step.
Musk’s extremely iterative — or just plain erratic/arbitrary — management style is so far from the responsive and responsible qualities the EU’s rulebook demands of digital leaders it’s hard to see how this clash can end well for either side.
We contacted X for a response to the EU’s warnings about its DSA compliance but at press time the company had not responded — beyond firing back its usual automated reply, which reads: “Busy now, please check back later.”
But at the time of writing, Musk had engaged in a bit of a dance of his own with the news of the EU’s warning by responding to a critical tweet posted to X by journalist Glenn Greenwald,
|
1403
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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
We’ve asked the Commission to confirm whether it has opened an investigation into X’s DSA compliance over concerns it’s raised in the letter. Perhaps it’s going to wait a day to see what his response is before taking that next dance step.
Musk’s extremely iterative — or just plain erratic/arbitrary — management style is so far from the responsive and responsible qualities the EU’s rulebook demands of digital leaders it’s hard to see how this clash can end well for either side.
We contacted X for a response to the EU’s warnings about its DSA compliance but at press time the company had not responded — beyond firing back its usual automated reply, which reads: “Busy now, please check back later.”
But at the time of writing, Musk had engaged in a bit of a dance of his own with the news of the EU’s warning by responding to a critical tweet posted to X by journalist Glenn Greenwald, who attacked the EU’s new “censorship law,
|
1404
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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
We’ve asked the Commission to confirm whether it has opened an investigation into X’s DSA compliance over concerns it’s raised in the letter. Perhaps it’s going to wait a day to see what his response is before taking that next dance step.
Musk’s extremely iterative — or just plain erratic/arbitrary — management style is so far from the responsive and responsible qualities the EU’s rulebook demands of digital leaders it’s hard to see how this clash can end well for either side.
We contacted X for a response to the EU’s warnings about its DSA compliance but at press time the company had not responded — beyond firing back its usual automated reply, which reads: “Busy now, please check back later.”
But at the time of writing, Musk had engaged in a bit of a dance of his own with the news of the EU’s warning by responding to a critical tweet posted to X by journalist Glenn Greenwald, who attacked the EU’s new “censorship law,” as he dubbed the DSA — which he claimed would be used to “punish X.
|
1405
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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
Perhaps it’s going to wait a day to see what his response is before taking that next dance step.
Musk’s extremely iterative — or just plain erratic/arbitrary — management style is so far from the responsive and responsible qualities the EU’s rulebook demands of digital leaders it’s hard to see how this clash can end well for either side.
We contacted X for a response to the EU’s warnings about its DSA compliance but at press time the company had not responded — beyond firing back its usual automated reply, which reads: “Busy now, please check back later.”
But at the time of writing, Musk had engaged in a bit of a dance of his own with the news of the EU’s warning by responding to a critical tweet posted to X by journalist Glenn Greenwald, who attacked the EU’s new “censorship law,” as he dubbed the DSA — which he claimed would be used to “punish X.”
In reply to Greenwald,
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1406
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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
Perhaps it’s going to wait a day to see what his response is before taking that next dance step.
Musk’s extremely iterative — or just plain erratic/arbitrary — management style is so far from the responsive and responsible qualities the EU’s rulebook demands of digital leaders it’s hard to see how this clash can end well for either side.
We contacted X for a response to the EU’s warnings about its DSA compliance but at press time the company had not responded — beyond firing back its usual automated reply, which reads: “Busy now, please check back later.”
But at the time of writing, Musk had engaged in a bit of a dance of his own with the news of the EU’s warning by responding to a critical tweet posted to X by journalist Glenn Greenwald, who attacked the EU’s new “censorship law,” as he dubbed the DSA — which he claimed would be used to “punish X.”
In reply to Greenwald, Musk avoided expressing the same trenchant criticism of the EU’s approach but invited yet more relativism — writing: “Let the public hear exactly what this disinformation consists of and decide for themselves.
|
1407
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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
We contacted X for a response to the EU’s warnings about its DSA compliance but at press time the company had not responded — beyond firing back its usual automated reply, which reads: “Busy now, please check back later.”
But at the time of writing, Musk had engaged in a bit of a dance of his own with the news of the EU’s warning by responding to a critical tweet posted to X by journalist Glenn Greenwald, who attacked the EU’s new “censorship law,” as he dubbed the DSA — which he claimed would be used to “punish X.”
In reply to Greenwald, Musk avoided expressing the same trenchant criticism of the EU’s approach but invited yet more relativism — writing: “Let the public hear exactly what this disinformation consists of and decide for themselves.”
He then went on to sew doubt that disinformation is something that can be independently arbitrated at all,
|
1408
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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
We contacted X for a response to the EU’s warnings about its DSA compliance but at press time the company had not responded — beyond firing back its usual automated reply, which reads: “Busy now, please check back later.”
But at the time of writing, Musk had engaged in a bit of a dance of his own with the news of the EU’s warning by responding to a critical tweet posted to X by journalist Glenn Greenwald, who attacked the EU’s new “censorship law,” as he dubbed the DSA — which he claimed would be used to “punish X.”
In reply to Greenwald, Musk avoided expressing the same trenchant criticism of the EU’s approach but invited yet more relativism — writing: “Let the public hear exactly what this disinformation consists of and decide for themselves.”
He then went on to sew doubt that disinformation is something that can be independently arbitrated at all, implying fact-checking is just a convenient exercise for targeting different opinions — so essentially echoing Greenwald’s position — by claiming that “many times” the “official fact-checker” has been found making false statements,
|
1409
|
EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
which reads: “Busy now, please check back later.”
But at the time of writing, Musk had engaged in a bit of a dance of his own with the news of the EU’s warning by responding to a critical tweet posted to X by journalist Glenn Greenwald, who attacked the EU’s new “censorship law,” as he dubbed the DSA — which he claimed would be used to “punish X.”
In reply to Greenwald, Musk avoided expressing the same trenchant criticism of the EU’s approach but invited yet more relativism — writing: “Let the public hear exactly what this disinformation consists of and decide for themselves.”
He then went on to sew doubt that disinformation is something that can be independently arbitrated at all, implying fact-checking is just a convenient exercise for targeting different opinions — so essentially echoing Greenwald’s position — by claiming that “many times” the “official fact-checker” has been found making false statements, before adding a rhetorically empty offer that “Maybe this is the case here,
|
1410
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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
Musk had engaged in a bit of a dance of his own with the news of the EU’s warning by responding to a critical tweet posted to X by journalist Glenn Greenwald, who attacked the EU’s new “censorship law,” as he dubbed the DSA — which he claimed would be used to “punish X.”
In reply to Greenwald, Musk avoided expressing the same trenchant criticism of the EU’s approach but invited yet more relativism — writing: “Let the public hear exactly what this disinformation consists of and decide for themselves.”
He then went on to sew doubt that disinformation is something that can be independently arbitrated at all, implying fact-checking is just a convenient exercise for targeting different opinions — so essentially echoing Greenwald’s position — by claiming that “many times” the “official fact-checker” has been found making false statements, before adding a rhetorically empty offer that “Maybe this is the case here, maybe not” for good, plausible deniability measure.
|
1411
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EU fires urgent warning at Elon Musk’s X over illegal content and disinformation following Hamas attacks
who attacked the EU’s new “censorship law,” as he dubbed the DSA — which he claimed would be used to “punish X.”
In reply to Greenwald, Musk avoided expressing the same trenchant criticism of the EU’s approach but invited yet more relativism — writing: “Let the public hear exactly what this disinformation consists of and decide for themselves.”
He then went on to sew doubt that disinformation is something that can be independently arbitrated at all, implying fact-checking is just a convenient exercise for targeting different opinions — so essentially echoing Greenwald’s position — by claiming that “many times” the “official fact-checker” has been found making false statements, before adding a rhetorically empty offer that “Maybe this is the case here, maybe not” for good, plausible deniability measure.
In another recent tweet-response Musk can also be seen chipping into another conversation in which an X user has commented on a screengrab of an apparent exchange of threats between Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and an official Israeli government account in relation to the war — with Musk writing: “Amazing to see this exchange!”
The irony here is Musk’s destruction of Twitter’s legacy verification of notable accounts means you can’t, at a glance, be sure if the exchange really happened.
|
1412
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Consumers are hungry for a new way of social networking, where trust and safety are paramount and power isn’t centralized with a Big Tech CEO in charge… or at least that’s what Mozilla believes. The mission-driven tech company behind the Firefox browser, Pocket reader and other apps is now investing its energy into the so-called “fediverse” — a collection of decentralized social networking applications, like Mastodon, that communicate with one another over the ActivityPub protocol.
The idea is to rethink social networking from the ground up.
Today, social networks are often run by large corporations — like Meta, Snap and Google — where advertisers pay the bills. This has created a world where modern social networks are profit-driven, and consumer needs aren’t always at the forefront, Mozilla believes. This disconnect between what people want and what today’s networks offer hit an inflection point last year, when billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter, leading to a surge of interest in alternatives to centralized social networking, including apps like Mastodon and Bluesky.
|
1413
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
The mission-driven tech company behind the Firefox browser, Pocket reader and other apps is now investing its energy into the so-called “fediverse” — a collection of decentralized social networking applications, like Mastodon, that communicate with one another over the ActivityPub protocol.
The idea is to rethink social networking from the ground up.
Today, social networks are often run by large corporations — like Meta, Snap and Google — where advertisers pay the bills. This has created a world where modern social networks are profit-driven, and consumer needs aren’t always at the forefront, Mozilla believes. This disconnect between what people want and what today’s networks offer hit an inflection point last year, when billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter, leading to a surge of interest in alternatives to centralized social networking, including apps like Mastodon and Bluesky.
Under Musk, Twitter — now called X — has prioritized “free speech” managed by crowdsourced-based moderation. Its policies have resulted in increased hate speech and toxic content on the platform, some studies have shown.
|
1414
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
The idea is to rethink social networking from the ground up.
Today, social networks are often run by large corporations — like Meta, Snap and Google — where advertisers pay the bills. This has created a world where modern social networks are profit-driven, and consumer needs aren’t always at the forefront, Mozilla believes. This disconnect between what people want and what today’s networks offer hit an inflection point last year, when billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter, leading to a surge of interest in alternatives to centralized social networking, including apps like Mastodon and Bluesky.
Under Musk, Twitter — now called X — has prioritized “free speech” managed by crowdsourced-based moderation. Its policies have resulted in increased hate speech and toxic content on the platform, some studies have shown.
Mozilla believes there’s a better way forward and, more importantly, that now is exactly the right time to invest in that path.
|
1415
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
The idea is to rethink social networking from the ground up.
Today, social networks are often run by large corporations — like Meta, Snap and Google — where advertisers pay the bills. This has created a world where modern social networks are profit-driven, and consumer needs aren’t always at the forefront, Mozilla believes. This disconnect between what people want and what today’s networks offer hit an inflection point last year, when billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter, leading to a surge of interest in alternatives to centralized social networking, including apps like Mastodon and Bluesky.
Under Musk, Twitter — now called X — has prioritized “free speech” managed by crowdsourced-based moderation. Its policies have resulted in increased hate speech and toxic content on the platform, some studies have shown.
Mozilla believes there’s a better way forward and, more importantly, that now is exactly the right time to invest in that path. And, as a wholly owned subsidiary of a nonprofit, the company says it’s not motivated by generating earnings for shareholders or returning a VC investment, allowing it to progress with a collaborative approach where it takes in input from a lot of different voices.
|
1416
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
This has created a world where modern social networks are profit-driven, and consumer needs aren’t always at the forefront, Mozilla believes. This disconnect between what people want and what today’s networks offer hit an inflection point last year, when billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter, leading to a surge of interest in alternatives to centralized social networking, including apps like Mastodon and Bluesky.
Under Musk, Twitter — now called X — has prioritized “free speech” managed by crowdsourced-based moderation. Its policies have resulted in increased hate speech and toxic content on the platform, some studies have shown.
Mozilla believes there’s a better way forward and, more importantly, that now is exactly the right time to invest in that path. And, as a wholly owned subsidiary of a nonprofit, the company says it’s not motivated by generating earnings for shareholders or returning a VC investment, allowing it to progress with a collaborative approach where it takes in input from a lot of different voices.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Mozilla Senior Director of Content Carolyn O’Hara explained why Mozilla has taken an interest in the fediverse and Mastodon, specifically, and how it expects to experiment in the months ahead.
|
1417
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Under Musk, Twitter — now called X — has prioritized “free speech” managed by crowdsourced-based moderation. Its policies have resulted in increased hate speech and toxic content on the platform, some studies have shown.
Mozilla believes there’s a better way forward and, more importantly, that now is exactly the right time to invest in that path. And, as a wholly owned subsidiary of a nonprofit, the company says it’s not motivated by generating earnings for shareholders or returning a VC investment, allowing it to progress with a collaborative approach where it takes in input from a lot of different voices.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Mozilla Senior Director of Content Carolyn O’Hara explained why Mozilla has taken an interest in the fediverse and Mastodon, specifically, and how it expects to experiment in the months ahead.
For background, the company announced its plans to enter the fediverse in December 2022 and this May launched a private beta for Mozilla.social, a Mastodon server — or “instance” in fediverse parlance — that will allow consumers to participate in this new form of social networking where problems like misinformation, harassment and issues around worsening mental health are minimized.
|
1418
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Mozilla believes there’s a better way forward and, more importantly, that now is exactly the right time to invest in that path. And, as a wholly owned subsidiary of a nonprofit, the company says it’s not motivated by generating earnings for shareholders or returning a VC investment, allowing it to progress with a collaborative approach where it takes in input from a lot of different voices.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Mozilla Senior Director of Content Carolyn O’Hara explained why Mozilla has taken an interest in the fediverse and Mastodon, specifically, and how it expects to experiment in the months ahead.
For background, the company announced its plans to enter the fediverse in December 2022 and this May launched a private beta for Mozilla.social, a Mastodon server — or “instance” in fediverse parlance — that will allow consumers to participate in this new form of social networking where problems like misinformation, harassment and issues around worsening mental health are minimized.
The company’s work on its social efforts is also available publicly on GitHub.
|
1419
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
And, as a wholly owned subsidiary of a nonprofit, the company says it’s not motivated by generating earnings for shareholders or returning a VC investment, allowing it to progress with a collaborative approach where it takes in input from a lot of different voices.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Mozilla Senior Director of Content Carolyn O’Hara explained why Mozilla has taken an interest in the fediverse and Mastodon, specifically, and how it expects to experiment in the months ahead.
For background, the company announced its plans to enter the fediverse in December 2022 and this May launched a private beta for Mozilla.social, a Mastodon server — or “instance” in fediverse parlance — that will allow consumers to participate in this new form of social networking where problems like misinformation, harassment and issues around worsening mental health are minimized.
The company’s work on its social efforts is also available publicly on GitHub. (Of interest to technical folks, the company is using a forked version of Elk as its alternative web client for its Mastodon server, which is what gives it its slick look and feel.)
|
1420
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
In an interview with TechCrunch, Mozilla Senior Director of Content Carolyn O’Hara explained why Mozilla has taken an interest in the fediverse and Mastodon, specifically, and how it expects to experiment in the months ahead.
For background, the company announced its plans to enter the fediverse in December 2022 and this May launched a private beta for Mozilla.social, a Mastodon server — or “instance” in fediverse parlance — that will allow consumers to participate in this new form of social networking where problems like misinformation, harassment and issues around worsening mental health are minimized.
The company’s work on its social efforts is also available publicly on GitHub. (Of interest to technical folks, the company is using a forked version of Elk as its alternative web client for its Mastodon server, which is what gives it its slick look and feel.)
Mozilla’s involvement, says O’Hara, came about because the company looked at the history of social media over the past decade and didn’t like what it saw.
|
1421
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
For background, the company announced its plans to enter the fediverse in December 2022 and this May launched a private beta for Mozilla.social, a Mastodon server — or “instance” in fediverse parlance — that will allow consumers to participate in this new form of social networking where problems like misinformation, harassment and issues around worsening mental health are minimized.
The company’s work on its social efforts is also available publicly on GitHub. (Of interest to technical folks, the company is using a forked version of Elk as its alternative web client for its Mastodon server, which is what gives it its slick look and feel.)
Mozilla’s involvement, says O’Hara, came about because the company looked at the history of social media over the past decade and didn’t like what it saw.
“I think that it’s a pretty poor track record by existing companies that are only model motivated by profit and just insane user growth, and are willing to tolerate and amplify really toxic content because it looks like engagement,” she says.
|
1422
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
The company’s work on its social efforts is also available publicly on GitHub. (Of interest to technical folks, the company is using a forked version of Elk as its alternative web client for its Mastodon server, which is what gives it its slick look and feel.)
Mozilla’s involvement, says O’Hara, came about because the company looked at the history of social media over the past decade and didn’t like what it saw.
“I think that it’s a pretty poor track record by existing companies that are only model motivated by profit and just insane user growth, and are willing to tolerate and amplify really toxic content because it looks like engagement,” she says. “[They] aren’t just putting forward the kind of standards that are good for people, but are just good for their bottom lines.”
Plus, she adds, consumers are now becoming aware of this, which is new.
“Consumers feel that the vibes are off a little bit…these platforms aren’t necessarily working in their best interests, or satisfying them,” O’Hara points out.
|
1423
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
(Of interest to technical folks, the company is using a forked version of Elk as its alternative web client for its Mastodon server, which is what gives it its slick look and feel.)
Mozilla’s involvement, says O’Hara, came about because the company looked at the history of social media over the past decade and didn’t like what it saw.
“I think that it’s a pretty poor track record by existing companies that are only model motivated by profit and just insane user growth, and are willing to tolerate and amplify really toxic content because it looks like engagement,” she says. “[They] aren’t just putting forward the kind of standards that are good for people, but are just good for their bottom lines.”
Plus, she adds, consumers are now becoming aware of this, which is new.
“Consumers feel that the vibes are off a little bit…these platforms aren’t necessarily working in their best interests, or satisfying them,” O’Hara points out.
For Mozilla, that discontent presented an opportunity to enter the social networking space and compete for consumers’ attention.
|
1424
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Mozilla’s involvement, says O’Hara, came about because the company looked at the history of social media over the past decade and didn’t like what it saw.
“I think that it’s a pretty poor track record by existing companies that are only model motivated by profit and just insane user growth, and are willing to tolerate and amplify really toxic content because it looks like engagement,” she says. “[They] aren’t just putting forward the kind of standards that are good for people, but are just good for their bottom lines.”
Plus, she adds, consumers are now becoming aware of this, which is new.
“Consumers feel that the vibes are off a little bit…these platforms aren’t necessarily working in their best interests, or satisfying them,” O’Hara points out.
For Mozilla, that discontent presented an opportunity to enter the social networking space and compete for consumers’ attention. In its case, however, the broader goal is to help the fediverse itself gain traction, not just its own Mastodon server.
|
1425
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“I think that it’s a pretty poor track record by existing companies that are only model motivated by profit and just insane user growth, and are willing to tolerate and amplify really toxic content because it looks like engagement,” she says. “[They] aren’t just putting forward the kind of standards that are good for people, but are just good for their bottom lines.”
Plus, she adds, consumers are now becoming aware of this, which is new.
“Consumers feel that the vibes are off a little bit…these platforms aren’t necessarily working in their best interests, or satisfying them,” O’Hara points out.
For Mozilla, that discontent presented an opportunity to enter the social networking space and compete for consumers’ attention. In its case, however, the broader goal is to help the fediverse itself gain traction, not just its own Mastodon server.
“We’re not seeking to get, like 2 billion users on our instance.
|
1426
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“I think that it’s a pretty poor track record by existing companies that are only model motivated by profit and just insane user growth, and are willing to tolerate and amplify really toxic content because it looks like engagement,” she says. “[They] aren’t just putting forward the kind of standards that are good for people, but are just good for their bottom lines.”
Plus, she adds, consumers are now becoming aware of this, which is new.
“Consumers feel that the vibes are off a little bit…these platforms aren’t necessarily working in their best interests, or satisfying them,” O’Hara points out.
For Mozilla, that discontent presented an opportunity to enter the social networking space and compete for consumers’ attention. In its case, however, the broader goal is to help the fediverse itself gain traction, not just its own Mastodon server.
“We’re not seeking to get, like 2 billion users on our instance. We want people to have choice and agency,” says O’Hara, adding that choice is in line with Mozilla’s values.
|
1427
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“[They] aren’t just putting forward the kind of standards that are good for people, but are just good for their bottom lines.”
Plus, she adds, consumers are now becoming aware of this, which is new.
“Consumers feel that the vibes are off a little bit…these platforms aren’t necessarily working in their best interests, or satisfying them,” O’Hara points out.
For Mozilla, that discontent presented an opportunity to enter the social networking space and compete for consumers’ attention. In its case, however, the broader goal is to help the fediverse itself gain traction, not just its own Mastodon server.
“We’re not seeking to get, like 2 billion users on our instance. We want people to have choice and agency,” says O’Hara, adding that choice is in line with Mozilla’s values.
However, the company is aiming to tackle some of the obstacles that have prevented users from joining and participating in the fediverse so far, including the technical hurdles around onboarding, finding people to follow and discovering interesting content to discuss.
|
1428
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“Consumers feel that the vibes are off a little bit…these platforms aren’t necessarily working in their best interests, or satisfying them,” O’Hara points out.
For Mozilla, that discontent presented an opportunity to enter the social networking space and compete for consumers’ attention. In its case, however, the broader goal is to help the fediverse itself gain traction, not just its own Mastodon server.
“We’re not seeking to get, like 2 billion users on our instance. We want people to have choice and agency,” says O’Hara, adding that choice is in line with Mozilla’s values.
However, the company is aiming to tackle some of the obstacles that have prevented users from joining and participating in the fediverse so far, including the technical hurdles around onboarding, finding people to follow and discovering interesting content to discuss.
For starters, users will join the Mozilla.social instance with their Mozilla accounts, which also provides access to the Firefox browser, Mozilla’s VPN, Pocket and other products, simplifying access to its suite of tools.
|
1429
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
For Mozilla, that discontent presented an opportunity to enter the social networking space and compete for consumers’ attention. In its case, however, the broader goal is to help the fediverse itself gain traction, not just its own Mastodon server.
“We’re not seeking to get, like 2 billion users on our instance. We want people to have choice and agency,” says O’Hara, adding that choice is in line with Mozilla’s values.
However, the company is aiming to tackle some of the obstacles that have prevented users from joining and participating in the fediverse so far, including the technical hurdles around onboarding, finding people to follow and discovering interesting content to discuss.
For starters, users will join the Mozilla.social instance with their Mozilla accounts, which also provides access to the Firefox browser, Mozilla’s VPN, Pocket and other products, simplifying access to its suite of tools. The instance isn’t yet open to the public, but is experimenting with hundreds of users for the time being.
|
1430
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
In its case, however, the broader goal is to help the fediverse itself gain traction, not just its own Mastodon server.
“We’re not seeking to get, like 2 billion users on our instance. We want people to have choice and agency,” says O’Hara, adding that choice is in line with Mozilla’s values.
However, the company is aiming to tackle some of the obstacles that have prevented users from joining and participating in the fediverse so far, including the technical hurdles around onboarding, finding people to follow and discovering interesting content to discuss.
For starters, users will join the Mozilla.social instance with their Mozilla accounts, which also provides access to the Firefox browser, Mozilla’s VPN, Pocket and other products, simplifying access to its suite of tools. The instance isn’t yet open to the public, but is experimenting with hundreds of users for the time being.
“We’re keeping the number intentionally small and we’re prioritizing the groups that we’re proactively reaching out to,” O’Hara explained.
|
1431
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“We’re not seeking to get, like 2 billion users on our instance. We want people to have choice and agency,” says O’Hara, adding that choice is in line with Mozilla’s values.
However, the company is aiming to tackle some of the obstacles that have prevented users from joining and participating in the fediverse so far, including the technical hurdles around onboarding, finding people to follow and discovering interesting content to discuss.
For starters, users will join the Mozilla.social instance with their Mozilla accounts, which also provides access to the Firefox browser, Mozilla’s VPN, Pocket and other products, simplifying access to its suite of tools. The instance isn’t yet open to the public, but is experimenting with hundreds of users for the time being.
“We’re keeping the number intentionally small and we’re prioritizing the groups that we’re proactively reaching out to,” O’Hara explained. “The communities we’ve worked with previously will have first access to the private beta, some of which will include folks from the waitlist.”
The timeline to a public launch isn’t yet determined, as the company plans to experiment with various expansions and features throughout next year.
|
1432
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
However, the company is aiming to tackle some of the obstacles that have prevented users from joining and participating in the fediverse so far, including the technical hurdles around onboarding, finding people to follow and discovering interesting content to discuss.
For starters, users will join the Mozilla.social instance with their Mozilla accounts, which also provides access to the Firefox browser, Mozilla’s VPN, Pocket and other products, simplifying access to its suite of tools. The instance isn’t yet open to the public, but is experimenting with hundreds of users for the time being.
“We’re keeping the number intentionally small and we’re prioritizing the groups that we’re proactively reaching out to,” O’Hara explained. “The communities we’ve worked with previously will have first access to the private beta, some of which will include folks from the waitlist.”
The timeline to a public launch isn’t yet determined, as the company plans to experiment with various expansions and features throughout next year.
For example, Mozilla is currently experimenting with a Discover feed that aims to surface engaging content.
|
1433
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
For starters, users will join the Mozilla.social instance with their Mozilla accounts, which also provides access to the Firefox browser, Mozilla’s VPN, Pocket and other products, simplifying access to its suite of tools. The instance isn’t yet open to the public, but is experimenting with hundreds of users for the time being.
“We’re keeping the number intentionally small and we’re prioritizing the groups that we’re proactively reaching out to,” O’Hara explained. “The communities we’ve worked with previously will have first access to the private beta, some of which will include folks from the waitlist.”
The timeline to a public launch isn’t yet determined, as the company plans to experiment with various expansions and features throughout next year.
For example, Mozilla is currently experimenting with a Discover feed that aims to surface engaging content. Over time, it plans to gather more signals from around the fediverse to determine what sort of content people are interacting with.
|
1434
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
For starters, users will join the Mozilla.social instance with their Mozilla accounts, which also provides access to the Firefox browser, Mozilla’s VPN, Pocket and other products, simplifying access to its suite of tools. The instance isn’t yet open to the public, but is experimenting with hundreds of users for the time being.
“We’re keeping the number intentionally small and we’re prioritizing the groups that we’re proactively reaching out to,” O’Hara explained. “The communities we’ve worked with previously will have first access to the private beta, some of which will include folks from the waitlist.”
The timeline to a public launch isn’t yet determined, as the company plans to experiment with various expansions and features throughout next year.
For example, Mozilla is currently experimenting with a Discover feed that aims to surface engaging content. Over time, it plans to gather more signals from around the fediverse to determine what sort of content people are interacting with. It also sees a role for its read-it-later app Pocket in this experience, as the app’s primary use case is to store links to articles and other content that people have signaled they want to read.
|
1435
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
The instance isn’t yet open to the public, but is experimenting with hundreds of users for the time being.
“We’re keeping the number intentionally small and we’re prioritizing the groups that we’re proactively reaching out to,” O’Hara explained. “The communities we’ve worked with previously will have first access to the private beta, some of which will include folks from the waitlist.”
The timeline to a public launch isn’t yet determined, as the company plans to experiment with various expansions and features throughout next year.
For example, Mozilla is currently experimenting with a Discover feed that aims to surface engaging content. Over time, it plans to gather more signals from around the fediverse to determine what sort of content people are interacting with. It also sees a role for its read-it-later app Pocket in this experience, as the app’s primary use case is to store links to articles and other content that people have signaled they want to read.
“We are planning to open the beta in phases because we want to ensure that we have a content moderation team and other tools that can be scaled relative to the size of the user base.
|
1436
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“The communities we’ve worked with previously will have first access to the private beta, some of which will include folks from the waitlist.”
The timeline to a public launch isn’t yet determined, as the company plans to experiment with various expansions and features throughout next year.
For example, Mozilla is currently experimenting with a Discover feed that aims to surface engaging content. Over time, it plans to gather more signals from around the fediverse to determine what sort of content people are interacting with. It also sees a role for its read-it-later app Pocket in this experience, as the app’s primary use case is to store links to articles and other content that people have signaled they want to read.
“We are planning to open the beta in phases because we want to ensure that we have a content moderation team and other tools that can be scaled relative to the size of the user base. We’re not in a rush as we think it’s important to be deliberate about launching social media tools,” O’Hara says.
|
1437
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
For example, Mozilla is currently experimenting with a Discover feed that aims to surface engaging content. Over time, it plans to gather more signals from around the fediverse to determine what sort of content people are interacting with. It also sees a role for its read-it-later app Pocket in this experience, as the app’s primary use case is to store links to articles and other content that people have signaled they want to read.
“We are planning to open the beta in phases because we want to ensure that we have a content moderation team and other tools that can be scaled relative to the size of the user base. We’re not in a rush as we think it’s important to be deliberate about launching social media tools,” O’Hara says.
“We have a lot of core competency that we brought over from our Pocket experience and other recommendation products that we put together to at least get that engine revving,” notes O’Hara.
|
1438
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
For example, Mozilla is currently experimenting with a Discover feed that aims to surface engaging content. Over time, it plans to gather more signals from around the fediverse to determine what sort of content people are interacting with. It also sees a role for its read-it-later app Pocket in this experience, as the app’s primary use case is to store links to articles and other content that people have signaled they want to read.
“We are planning to open the beta in phases because we want to ensure that we have a content moderation team and other tools that can be scaled relative to the size of the user base. We’re not in a rush as we think it’s important to be deliberate about launching social media tools,” O’Hara says.
“We have a lot of core competency that we brought over from our Pocket experience and other recommendation products that we put together to at least get that engine revving,” notes O’Hara.
Initially, the company is running a Mastodon account, “@Pocket_Recommends@mozilla.social,” where it actively posts recommendations of stories to read.
|
1439
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
It also sees a role for its read-it-later app Pocket in this experience, as the app’s primary use case is to store links to articles and other content that people have signaled they want to read.
“We are planning to open the beta in phases because we want to ensure that we have a content moderation team and other tools that can be scaled relative to the size of the user base. We’re not in a rush as we think it’s important to be deliberate about launching social media tools,” O’Hara says.
“We have a lot of core competency that we brought over from our Pocket experience and other recommendation products that we put together to at least get that engine revving,” notes O’Hara.
Initially, the company is running a Mastodon account, “@Pocket_Recommends@mozilla.social,” where it actively posts recommendations of stories to read. It’s the same sort of content you might find in the Pocket email newsletter, but now distributed on the fediverse.
|
1440
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“We are planning to open the beta in phases because we want to ensure that we have a content moderation team and other tools that can be scaled relative to the size of the user base. We’re not in a rush as we think it’s important to be deliberate about launching social media tools,” O’Hara says.
“We have a lot of core competency that we brought over from our Pocket experience and other recommendation products that we put together to at least get that engine revving,” notes O’Hara.
Initially, the company is running a Mastodon account, “@Pocket_Recommends@mozilla.social,” where it actively posts recommendations of stories to read. It’s the same sort of content you might find in the Pocket email newsletter, but now distributed on the fediverse.
The company also wants to address the needs of creators and publishers who want to broaden their audience as it moves forward with its fediverse plans.
|
1441
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“We are planning to open the beta in phases because we want to ensure that we have a content moderation team and other tools that can be scaled relative to the size of the user base. We’re not in a rush as we think it’s important to be deliberate about launching social media tools,” O’Hara says.
“We have a lot of core competency that we brought over from our Pocket experience and other recommendation products that we put together to at least get that engine revving,” notes O’Hara.
Initially, the company is running a Mastodon account, “@Pocket_Recommends@mozilla.social,” where it actively posts recommendations of stories to read. It’s the same sort of content you might find in the Pocket email newsletter, but now distributed on the fediverse.
The company also wants to address the needs of creators and publishers who want to broaden their audience as it moves forward with its fediverse plans.
“From a content discovery standpoint, I’m really interested in how we can seed conversations and seed experiences with really high-quality content — certainly, editorial publisher content,” says O’Hara.
|
1442
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
We’re not in a rush as we think it’s important to be deliberate about launching social media tools,” O’Hara says.
“We have a lot of core competency that we brought over from our Pocket experience and other recommendation products that we put together to at least get that engine revving,” notes O’Hara.
Initially, the company is running a Mastodon account, “@Pocket_Recommends@mozilla.social,” where it actively posts recommendations of stories to read. It’s the same sort of content you might find in the Pocket email newsletter, but now distributed on the fediverse.
The company also wants to address the needs of creators and publishers who want to broaden their audience as it moves forward with its fediverse plans.
“From a content discovery standpoint, I’m really interested in how we can seed conversations and seed experiences with really high-quality content — certainly, editorial publisher content,” says O’Hara. “How can we get publishers and content providers involved early?… I think of them as a real constituency for us,” she says.
|
1443
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“We have a lot of core competency that we brought over from our Pocket experience and other recommendation products that we put together to at least get that engine revving,” notes O’Hara.
Initially, the company is running a Mastodon account, “@Pocket_Recommends@mozilla.social,” where it actively posts recommendations of stories to read. It’s the same sort of content you might find in the Pocket email newsletter, but now distributed on the fediverse.
The company also wants to address the needs of creators and publishers who want to broaden their audience as it moves forward with its fediverse plans.
“From a content discovery standpoint, I’m really interested in how we can seed conversations and seed experiences with really high-quality content — certainly, editorial publisher content,” says O’Hara. “How can we get publishers and content providers involved early?… I think of them as a real constituency for us,” she says. Plus, Mozilla wants to bring in the originators whose posts lead to interesting conversations and keep the network active.
|
1444
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Initially, the company is running a Mastodon account, “@Pocket_Recommends@mozilla.social,” where it actively posts recommendations of stories to read. It’s the same sort of content you might find in the Pocket email newsletter, but now distributed on the fediverse.
The company also wants to address the needs of creators and publishers who want to broaden their audience as it moves forward with its fediverse plans.
“From a content discovery standpoint, I’m really interested in how we can seed conversations and seed experiences with really high-quality content — certainly, editorial publisher content,” says O’Hara. “How can we get publishers and content providers involved early?… I think of them as a real constituency for us,” she says. Plus, Mozilla wants to bring in the originators whose posts lead to interesting conversations and keep the network active.
O’Hara says Mozilla is now in active discussions with publishers to understand their needs, including both their social needs and business needs, and how those goals may have changed over the past year.
|
1445
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
It’s the same sort of content you might find in the Pocket email newsletter, but now distributed on the fediverse.
The company also wants to address the needs of creators and publishers who want to broaden their audience as it moves forward with its fediverse plans.
“From a content discovery standpoint, I’m really interested in how we can seed conversations and seed experiences with really high-quality content — certainly, editorial publisher content,” says O’Hara. “How can we get publishers and content providers involved early?… I think of them as a real constituency for us,” she says. Plus, Mozilla wants to bring in the originators whose posts lead to interesting conversations and keep the network active.
O’Hara says Mozilla is now in active discussions with publishers to understand their needs, including both their social needs and business needs, and how those goals may have changed over the past year. As part of these discussions, Mozilla aims to convince publishers that Mastodon isn’t just another place they have to support, but one that could deliver on their objectives.
|
1446
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
The company also wants to address the needs of creators and publishers who want to broaden their audience as it moves forward with its fediverse plans.
“From a content discovery standpoint, I’m really interested in how we can seed conversations and seed experiences with really high-quality content — certainly, editorial publisher content,” says O’Hara. “How can we get publishers and content providers involved early?… I think of them as a real constituency for us,” she says. Plus, Mozilla wants to bring in the originators whose posts lead to interesting conversations and keep the network active.
O’Hara says Mozilla is now in active discussions with publishers to understand their needs, including both their social needs and business needs, and how those goals may have changed over the past year. As part of these discussions, Mozilla aims to convince publishers that Mastodon isn’t just another place they have to support, but one that could deliver on their objectives. As it learns from the publishers and other content creators what they want and need, it then intends to use that understanding to build features and drive efforts that can help them reach their audiences.
|
1447
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“From a content discovery standpoint, I’m really interested in how we can seed conversations and seed experiences with really high-quality content — certainly, editorial publisher content,” says O’Hara. “How can we get publishers and content providers involved early?… I think of them as a real constituency for us,” she says. Plus, Mozilla wants to bring in the originators whose posts lead to interesting conversations and keep the network active.
O’Hara says Mozilla is now in active discussions with publishers to understand their needs, including both their social needs and business needs, and how those goals may have changed over the past year. As part of these discussions, Mozilla aims to convince publishers that Mastodon isn’t just another place they have to support, but one that could deliver on their objectives. As it learns from the publishers and other content creators what they want and need, it then intends to use that understanding to build features and drive efforts that can help them reach their audiences.
So far, what Mozilla has learned is that publishers today feel somewhat resigned and pessimistic about social networks.
|
1448
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“How can we get publishers and content providers involved early?… I think of them as a real constituency for us,” she says. Plus, Mozilla wants to bring in the originators whose posts lead to interesting conversations and keep the network active.
O’Hara says Mozilla is now in active discussions with publishers to understand their needs, including both their social needs and business needs, and how those goals may have changed over the past year. As part of these discussions, Mozilla aims to convince publishers that Mastodon isn’t just another place they have to support, but one that could deliver on their objectives. As it learns from the publishers and other content creators what they want and need, it then intends to use that understanding to build features and drive efforts that can help them reach their audiences.
So far, what Mozilla has learned is that publishers today feel somewhat resigned and pessimistic about social networks. Twitter isn’t driving much traffic and, even though Instagram Threads appears interesting, Meta specifically said it wasn’t going to prioritize news on that platform.
|
1449
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Plus, Mozilla wants to bring in the originators whose posts lead to interesting conversations and keep the network active.
O’Hara says Mozilla is now in active discussions with publishers to understand their needs, including both their social needs and business needs, and how those goals may have changed over the past year. As part of these discussions, Mozilla aims to convince publishers that Mastodon isn’t just another place they have to support, but one that could deliver on their objectives. As it learns from the publishers and other content creators what they want and need, it then intends to use that understanding to build features and drive efforts that can help them reach their audiences.
So far, what Mozilla has learned is that publishers today feel somewhat resigned and pessimistic about social networks. Twitter isn’t driving much traffic and, even though Instagram Threads appears interesting, Meta specifically said it wasn’t going to prioritize news on that platform. What Mozilla wants to accomplish, then, is to help reconfigure the Mastodon onboarding process so that when someone — including a publisher or creator — joins its instance (or the fediverse in general) they’re able to build their audience with more ease.
|
1450
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
As part of these discussions, Mozilla aims to convince publishers that Mastodon isn’t just another place they have to support, but one that could deliver on their objectives. As it learns from the publishers and other content creators what they want and need, it then intends to use that understanding to build features and drive efforts that can help them reach their audiences.
So far, what Mozilla has learned is that publishers today feel somewhat resigned and pessimistic about social networks. Twitter isn’t driving much traffic and, even though Instagram Threads appears interesting, Meta specifically said it wasn’t going to prioritize news on that platform. What Mozilla wants to accomplish, then, is to help reconfigure the Mastodon onboarding process so that when someone — including a publisher or creator — joins its instance (or the fediverse in general) they’re able to build their audience with more ease.
“The baseline is just better onboarding, better connecting with accounts and communities,” explains O’Hara.
|
1451
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
As part of these discussions, Mozilla aims to convince publishers that Mastodon isn’t just another place they have to support, but one that could deliver on their objectives. As it learns from the publishers and other content creators what they want and need, it then intends to use that understanding to build features and drive efforts that can help them reach their audiences.
So far, what Mozilla has learned is that publishers today feel somewhat resigned and pessimistic about social networks. Twitter isn’t driving much traffic and, even though Instagram Threads appears interesting, Meta specifically said it wasn’t going to prioritize news on that platform. What Mozilla wants to accomplish, then, is to help reconfigure the Mastodon onboarding process so that when someone — including a publisher or creator — joins its instance (or the fediverse in general) they’re able to build their audience with more ease.
“The baseline is just better onboarding, better connecting with accounts and communities,” explains O’Hara. “You might be interested in spaces where you can have the kinds of conversations that you want to be able to have; trust and safety practices that make you feel safe in order to participate.
|
1452
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
So far, what Mozilla has learned is that publishers today feel somewhat resigned and pessimistic about social networks. Twitter isn’t driving much traffic and, even though Instagram Threads appears interesting, Meta specifically said it wasn’t going to prioritize news on that platform. What Mozilla wants to accomplish, then, is to help reconfigure the Mastodon onboarding process so that when someone — including a publisher or creator — joins its instance (or the fediverse in general) they’re able to build their audience with more ease.
“The baseline is just better onboarding, better connecting with accounts and communities,” explains O’Hara. “You might be interested in spaces where you can have the kinds of conversations that you want to be able to have; trust and safety practices that make you feel safe in order to participate. And I think also then access to content that spurs those conversations and seeds those conversations. And it all being kind of a delightful user experience — but we’re at the early days of that,” she adds.
|
1453
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Twitter isn’t driving much traffic and, even though Instagram Threads appears interesting, Meta specifically said it wasn’t going to prioritize news on that platform. What Mozilla wants to accomplish, then, is to help reconfigure the Mastodon onboarding process so that when someone — including a publisher or creator — joins its instance (or the fediverse in general) they’re able to build their audience with more ease.
“The baseline is just better onboarding, better connecting with accounts and communities,” explains O’Hara. “You might be interested in spaces where you can have the kinds of conversations that you want to be able to have; trust and safety practices that make you feel safe in order to participate. And I think also then access to content that spurs those conversations and seeds those conversations. And it all being kind of a delightful user experience — but we’re at the early days of that,” she adds.
Another avenue of thought is to create spaces within the fediverse where consumers can have civil and direct conversations within smaller communities, instead of shouting into the void, so to speak.
|
1454
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
What Mozilla wants to accomplish, then, is to help reconfigure the Mastodon onboarding process so that when someone — including a publisher or creator — joins its instance (or the fediverse in general) they’re able to build their audience with more ease.
“The baseline is just better onboarding, better connecting with accounts and communities,” explains O’Hara. “You might be interested in spaces where you can have the kinds of conversations that you want to be able to have; trust and safety practices that make you feel safe in order to participate. And I think also then access to content that spurs those conversations and seeds those conversations. And it all being kind of a delightful user experience — but we’re at the early days of that,” she adds.
Another avenue of thought is to create spaces within the fediverse where consumers can have civil and direct conversations within smaller communities, instead of shouting into the void, so to speak. As to what that will look like, is less clear.
|
1455
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“The baseline is just better onboarding, better connecting with accounts and communities,” explains O’Hara. “You might be interested in spaces where you can have the kinds of conversations that you want to be able to have; trust and safety practices that make you feel safe in order to participate. And I think also then access to content that spurs those conversations and seeds those conversations. And it all being kind of a delightful user experience — but we’re at the early days of that,” she adds.
Another avenue of thought is to create spaces within the fediverse where consumers can have civil and direct conversations within smaller communities, instead of shouting into the void, so to speak. As to what that will look like, is less clear. Will it be different instances or just new ways of forming communities, by building out features or experiences? O’Hara couldn’t say, only noting that experimentation will be needed.
Importantly, trust and safety will also be key to Mozilla’s instance.
|
1456
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“You might be interested in spaces where you can have the kinds of conversations that you want to be able to have; trust and safety practices that make you feel safe in order to participate. And I think also then access to content that spurs those conversations and seeds those conversations. And it all being kind of a delightful user experience — but we’re at the early days of that,” she adds.
Another avenue of thought is to create spaces within the fediverse where consumers can have civil and direct conversations within smaller communities, instead of shouting into the void, so to speak. As to what that will look like, is less clear. Will it be different instances or just new ways of forming communities, by building out features or experiences? O’Hara couldn’t say, only noting that experimentation will be needed.
Importantly, trust and safety will also be key to Mozilla’s instance. Its content policies indicate strict measures around hate speech, impersonation, self-harm, harassment, misinformation, violent and sexualized content, and more, in addition to illegal content, like CSAM (child sexual abuse material) and promotion of illegal goods.
|
1457
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
And I think also then access to content that spurs those conversations and seeds those conversations. And it all being kind of a delightful user experience — but we’re at the early days of that,” she adds.
Another avenue of thought is to create spaces within the fediverse where consumers can have civil and direct conversations within smaller communities, instead of shouting into the void, so to speak. As to what that will look like, is less clear. Will it be different instances or just new ways of forming communities, by building out features or experiences? O’Hara couldn’t say, only noting that experimentation will be needed.
Importantly, trust and safety will also be key to Mozilla’s instance. Its content policies indicate strict measures around hate speech, impersonation, self-harm, harassment, misinformation, violent and sexualized content, and more, in addition to illegal content, like CSAM (child sexual abuse material) and promotion of illegal goods.
But there’s a chance that playing it too safe can make a product less compelling as a Twitter/X alternative.
|
1458
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
And it all being kind of a delightful user experience — but we’re at the early days of that,” she adds.
Another avenue of thought is to create spaces within the fediverse where consumers can have civil and direct conversations within smaller communities, instead of shouting into the void, so to speak. As to what that will look like, is less clear. Will it be different instances or just new ways of forming communities, by building out features or experiences? O’Hara couldn’t say, only noting that experimentation will be needed.
Importantly, trust and safety will also be key to Mozilla’s instance. Its content policies indicate strict measures around hate speech, impersonation, self-harm, harassment, misinformation, violent and sexualized content, and more, in addition to illegal content, like CSAM (child sexual abuse material) and promotion of illegal goods.
But there’s a chance that playing it too safe can make a product less compelling as a Twitter/X alternative. That’s one takeaway, at least, from the recent shutdown of Pebble (formerly T2), a Twitter clone that put trust and safety at the forefront of its development process.
|
1459
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
As to what that will look like, is less clear. Will it be different instances or just new ways of forming communities, by building out features or experiences? O’Hara couldn’t say, only noting that experimentation will be needed.
Importantly, trust and safety will also be key to Mozilla’s instance. Its content policies indicate strict measures around hate speech, impersonation, self-harm, harassment, misinformation, violent and sexualized content, and more, in addition to illegal content, like CSAM (child sexual abuse material) and promotion of illegal goods.
But there’s a chance that playing it too safe can make a product less compelling as a Twitter/X alternative. That’s one takeaway, at least, from the recent shutdown of Pebble (formerly T2), a Twitter clone that put trust and safety at the forefront of its development process. The app never gained more than 20,000 users, and the founders now believe that its approach to moderation may have been correct, but it wasn’t a growth driver.
|
1460
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Will it be different instances or just new ways of forming communities, by building out features or experiences? O’Hara couldn’t say, only noting that experimentation will be needed.
Importantly, trust and safety will also be key to Mozilla’s instance. Its content policies indicate strict measures around hate speech, impersonation, self-harm, harassment, misinformation, violent and sexualized content, and more, in addition to illegal content, like CSAM (child sexual abuse material) and promotion of illegal goods.
But there’s a chance that playing it too safe can make a product less compelling as a Twitter/X alternative. That’s one takeaway, at least, from the recent shutdown of Pebble (formerly T2), a Twitter clone that put trust and safety at the forefront of its development process. The app never gained more than 20,000 users, and the founders now believe that its approach to moderation may have been correct, but it wasn’t a growth driver. In other words, people may say they want to feel safer when participating online, but clearly, that isn’t their only need.
|
1461
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Importantly, trust and safety will also be key to Mozilla’s instance. Its content policies indicate strict measures around hate speech, impersonation, self-harm, harassment, misinformation, violent and sexualized content, and more, in addition to illegal content, like CSAM (child sexual abuse material) and promotion of illegal goods.
But there’s a chance that playing it too safe can make a product less compelling as a Twitter/X alternative. That’s one takeaway, at least, from the recent shutdown of Pebble (formerly T2), a Twitter clone that put trust and safety at the forefront of its development process. The app never gained more than 20,000 users, and the founders now believe that its approach to moderation may have been correct, but it wasn’t a growth driver. In other words, people may say they want to feel safer when participating online, but clearly, that isn’t their only need.
Mozilla’s instance, still in private testing, has a small team of moderators that will grow when the instance launches to the public in the coming months.
|
1462
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
But there’s a chance that playing it too safe can make a product less compelling as a Twitter/X alternative. That’s one takeaway, at least, from the recent shutdown of Pebble (formerly T2), a Twitter clone that put trust and safety at the forefront of its development process. The app never gained more than 20,000 users, and the founders now believe that its approach to moderation may have been correct, but it wasn’t a growth driver. In other words, people may say they want to feel safer when participating online, but clearly, that isn’t their only need.
Mozilla’s instance, still in private testing, has a small team of moderators that will grow when the instance launches to the public in the coming months.
“It’s not just a commitment, it’s beyond foundational for us — that is the thing that is going to be true about this instance,” O’Hara says of Mozilla’s plans to heavily moderate its space.
|
1463
|
Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
But there’s a chance that playing it too safe can make a product less compelling as a Twitter/X alternative. That’s one takeaway, at least, from the recent shutdown of Pebble (formerly T2), a Twitter clone that put trust and safety at the forefront of its development process. The app never gained more than 20,000 users, and the founders now believe that its approach to moderation may have been correct, but it wasn’t a growth driver. In other words, people may say they want to feel safer when participating online, but clearly, that isn’t their only need.
Mozilla’s instance, still in private testing, has a small team of moderators that will grow when the instance launches to the public in the coming months.
“It’s not just a commitment, it’s beyond foundational for us — that is the thing that is going to be true about this instance,” O’Hara says of Mozilla’s plans to heavily moderate its space. Though Mozilla will also rely on technology to do some of the work, it wants to make sure the human moderators, “feel protected, supported and respected for their work,” she adds.
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
The app never gained more than 20,000 users, and the founders now believe that its approach to moderation may have been correct, but it wasn’t a growth driver. In other words, people may say they want to feel safer when participating online, but clearly, that isn’t their only need.
Mozilla’s instance, still in private testing, has a small team of moderators that will grow when the instance launches to the public in the coming months.
“It’s not just a commitment, it’s beyond foundational for us — that is the thing that is going to be true about this instance,” O’Hara says of Mozilla’s plans to heavily moderate its space. Though Mozilla will also rely on technology to do some of the work, it wants to make sure the human moderators, “feel protected, supported and respected for their work,” she adds.
“We are saying out the gate that this isn’t a neutral platform,” O’Hara stresses.
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
The app never gained more than 20,000 users, and the founders now believe that its approach to moderation may have been correct, but it wasn’t a growth driver. In other words, people may say they want to feel safer when participating online, but clearly, that isn’t their only need.
Mozilla’s instance, still in private testing, has a small team of moderators that will grow when the instance launches to the public in the coming months.
“It’s not just a commitment, it’s beyond foundational for us — that is the thing that is going to be true about this instance,” O’Hara says of Mozilla’s plans to heavily moderate its space. Though Mozilla will also rely on technology to do some of the work, it wants to make sure the human moderators, “feel protected, supported and respected for their work,” she adds.
“We are saying out the gate that this isn’t a neutral platform,” O’Hara stresses. “We think that that’s often used as this crutch to allow, or even amplify, really toxic content in the name of engagement… In some cases, platforms aren’t just brave enough to actually just take things down.”
Building directly on the fediverse isn’t the only way the company is prompting new forms of social networking.
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Mozilla’s instance, still in private testing, has a small team of moderators that will grow when the instance launches to the public in the coming months.
“It’s not just a commitment, it’s beyond foundational for us — that is the thing that is going to be true about this instance,” O’Hara says of Mozilla’s plans to heavily moderate its space. Though Mozilla will also rely on technology to do some of the work, it wants to make sure the human moderators, “feel protected, supported and respected for their work,” she adds.
“We are saying out the gate that this isn’t a neutral platform,” O’Hara stresses. “We think that that’s often used as this crutch to allow, or even amplify, really toxic content in the name of engagement… In some cases, platforms aren’t just brave enough to actually just take things down.”
Building directly on the fediverse isn’t the only way the company is prompting new forms of social networking. The company has also financially backed a startup, Mammoth, the makers of a third-party app for Mastodon.
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“It’s not just a commitment, it’s beyond foundational for us — that is the thing that is going to be true about this instance,” O’Hara says of Mozilla’s plans to heavily moderate its space. Though Mozilla will also rely on technology to do some of the work, it wants to make sure the human moderators, “feel protected, supported and respected for their work,” she adds.
“We are saying out the gate that this isn’t a neutral platform,” O’Hara stresses. “We think that that’s often used as this crutch to allow, or even amplify, really toxic content in the name of engagement… In some cases, platforms aren’t just brave enough to actually just take things down.”
Building directly on the fediverse isn’t the only way the company is prompting new forms of social networking. The company has also financially backed a startup, Mammoth, the makers of a third-party app for Mastodon.
Mozilla has been leaning into its values around inclusion, dignity, security, agency and community for 25 years, O’Hara says, and those will guide its efforts in the fediverse, as well.
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
Though Mozilla will also rely on technology to do some of the work, it wants to make sure the human moderators, “feel protected, supported and respected for their work,” she adds.
“We are saying out the gate that this isn’t a neutral platform,” O’Hara stresses. “We think that that’s often used as this crutch to allow, or even amplify, really toxic content in the name of engagement… In some cases, platforms aren’t just brave enough to actually just take things down.”
Building directly on the fediverse isn’t the only way the company is prompting new forms of social networking. The company has also financially backed a startup, Mammoth, the makers of a third-party app for Mastodon.
Mozilla has been leaning into its values around inclusion, dignity, security, agency and community for 25 years, O’Hara says, and those will guide its efforts in the fediverse, as well.
“We’re going to have rules on how people can engage with one another…it’s the fediverse, you have lots of other places to go if you don’t want to abide by those rules,” she adds.
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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
“We are saying out the gate that this isn’t a neutral platform,” O’Hara stresses. “We think that that’s often used as this crutch to allow, or even amplify, really toxic content in the name of engagement… In some cases, platforms aren’t just brave enough to actually just take things down.”
Building directly on the fediverse isn’t the only way the company is prompting new forms of social networking. The company has also financially backed a startup, Mammoth, the makers of a third-party app for Mastodon.
Mozilla has been leaning into its values around inclusion, dignity, security, agency and community for 25 years, O’Hara says, and those will guide its efforts in the fediverse, as well.
“We’re going to have rules on how people can engage with one another…it’s the fediverse, you have lots of other places to go if you don’t want to abide by those rules,” she adds.
Users can provide Mozilla with feedback via @Social @Mozilla.social or by using the hashtag #mozillasocial within the product.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
But eight years later, the argument between the two men seems prescient. The question of whether AI will elevate the world or destroy it – or at least inflict grave damage – has framed an ongoing debate among Silicon Valley founders, chatbot users, academics, legislators and regulators about whether the technology should be controlled or set free. Loading That debate has pitted some of the world’s richest men against one another: Musk, Page, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, tech investor Peter Thiel, Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Sam Altman of OpenAI. All have fought for a piece of the business – which one day could be worth trillions of dollars – and the power to shape it. At the heart of this competition is a brain-stretching paradox. The people who say they are most worried about AI are among the most determined to create it and enjoy its riches. They have justified their ambition with their strong belief that they alone can keep AI from endangering Earth. Musk and Page stopped speaking soon after the party that summer.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
Loading That debate has pitted some of the world’s richest men against one another: Musk, Page, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, tech investor Peter Thiel, Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Sam Altman of OpenAI. All have fought for a piece of the business – which one day could be worth trillions of dollars – and the power to shape it. At the heart of this competition is a brain-stretching paradox. The people who say they are most worried about AI are among the most determined to create it and enjoy its riches. They have justified their ambition with their strong belief that they alone can keep AI from endangering Earth. Musk and Page stopped speaking soon after the party that summer. A few weeks later, Musk dined with Altman, who was then running a tech incubator, and several researchers in a private room at the Rosewood hotel in Menlo Park, California, a favoured deal-making spot close to the venture capital offices of Sand Hill Road.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
All have fought for a piece of the business – which one day could be worth trillions of dollars – and the power to shape it. At the heart of this competition is a brain-stretching paradox. The people who say they are most worried about AI are among the most determined to create it and enjoy its riches. They have justified their ambition with their strong belief that they alone can keep AI from endangering Earth. Musk and Page stopped speaking soon after the party that summer. A few weeks later, Musk dined with Altman, who was then running a tech incubator, and several researchers in a private room at the Rosewood hotel in Menlo Park, California, a favoured deal-making spot close to the venture capital offices of Sand Hill Road.
That dinner led to the creation of a startup called OpenAI later in the year. Backed by hundreds of millions of dollars from Musk and other funders, the lab promised to protect the world from Page’s vision.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
At the heart of this competition is a brain-stretching paradox. The people who say they are most worried about AI are among the most determined to create it and enjoy its riches. They have justified their ambition with their strong belief that they alone can keep AI from endangering Earth. Musk and Page stopped speaking soon after the party that summer. A few weeks later, Musk dined with Altman, who was then running a tech incubator, and several researchers in a private room at the Rosewood hotel in Menlo Park, California, a favoured deal-making spot close to the venture capital offices of Sand Hill Road.
That dinner led to the creation of a startup called OpenAI later in the year. Backed by hundreds of millions of dollars from Musk and other funders, the lab promised to protect the world from Page’s vision. Thanks to its ChatGPT chatbot, OpenAI has fundamentally changed the technology industry and has introduced the world to the risks and potential of artificial intelligence.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
The people who say they are most worried about AI are among the most determined to create it and enjoy its riches. They have justified their ambition with their strong belief that they alone can keep AI from endangering Earth. Musk and Page stopped speaking soon after the party that summer. A few weeks later, Musk dined with Altman, who was then running a tech incubator, and several researchers in a private room at the Rosewood hotel in Menlo Park, California, a favoured deal-making spot close to the venture capital offices of Sand Hill Road.
That dinner led to the creation of a startup called OpenAI later in the year. Backed by hundreds of millions of dollars from Musk and other funders, the lab promised to protect the world from Page’s vision. Thanks to its ChatGPT chatbot, OpenAI has fundamentally changed the technology industry and has introduced the world to the risks and potential of artificial intelligence. OpenAI is valued at more than $US80 billion ($A123 billion), according to two people familiar with the company’s latest funding round, although Musk and Altman’s partnership didn’t make it.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
Musk and Page stopped speaking soon after the party that summer. A few weeks later, Musk dined with Altman, who was then running a tech incubator, and several researchers in a private room at the Rosewood hotel in Menlo Park, California, a favoured deal-making spot close to the venture capital offices of Sand Hill Road.
That dinner led to the creation of a startup called OpenAI later in the year. Backed by hundreds of millions of dollars from Musk and other funders, the lab promised to protect the world from Page’s vision. Thanks to its ChatGPT chatbot, OpenAI has fundamentally changed the technology industry and has introduced the world to the risks and potential of artificial intelligence. OpenAI is valued at more than $US80 billion ($A123 billion), according to two people familiar with the company’s latest funding round, although Musk and Altman’s partnership didn’t make it. The two have since stopped speaking. Elon Musk and Sam Altman.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
A few weeks later, Musk dined with Altman, who was then running a tech incubator, and several researchers in a private room at the Rosewood hotel in Menlo Park, California, a favoured deal-making spot close to the venture capital offices of Sand Hill Road.
That dinner led to the creation of a startup called OpenAI later in the year. Backed by hundreds of millions of dollars from Musk and other funders, the lab promised to protect the world from Page’s vision. Thanks to its ChatGPT chatbot, OpenAI has fundamentally changed the technology industry and has introduced the world to the risks and potential of artificial intelligence. OpenAI is valued at more than $US80 billion ($A123 billion), according to two people familiar with the company’s latest funding round, although Musk and Altman’s partnership didn’t make it. The two have since stopped speaking. Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Credit: Bloomberg, AP “There is disagreement, mistrust, egos,” Altman said.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
That dinner led to the creation of a startup called OpenAI later in the year. Backed by hundreds of millions of dollars from Musk and other funders, the lab promised to protect the world from Page’s vision. Thanks to its ChatGPT chatbot, OpenAI has fundamentally changed the technology industry and has introduced the world to the risks and potential of artificial intelligence. OpenAI is valued at more than $US80 billion ($A123 billion), according to two people familiar with the company’s latest funding round, although Musk and Altman’s partnership didn’t make it. The two have since stopped speaking. Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Credit: Bloomberg, AP “There is disagreement, mistrust, egos,” Altman said. “The closer people are to being pointed in the same direction, the more contentious the disagreements are. You see this in sects and religious orders. There are bitter fights between the closest people.” Last month that infighting came to OpenAI’s boardroom.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
Backed by hundreds of millions of dollars from Musk and other funders, the lab promised to protect the world from Page’s vision. Thanks to its ChatGPT chatbot, OpenAI has fundamentally changed the technology industry and has introduced the world to the risks and potential of artificial intelligence. OpenAI is valued at more than $US80 billion ($A123 billion), according to two people familiar with the company’s latest funding round, although Musk and Altman’s partnership didn’t make it. The two have since stopped speaking. Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Credit: Bloomberg, AP “There is disagreement, mistrust, egos,” Altman said. “The closer people are to being pointed in the same direction, the more contentious the disagreements are. You see this in sects and religious orders. There are bitter fights between the closest people.” Last month that infighting came to OpenAI’s boardroom. Rebel board members tried to force out Altman because, they believed, they could no longer trust him to build AI that would benefit humanity.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
Thanks to its ChatGPT chatbot, OpenAI has fundamentally changed the technology industry and has introduced the world to the risks and potential of artificial intelligence. OpenAI is valued at more than $US80 billion ($A123 billion), according to two people familiar with the company’s latest funding round, although Musk and Altman’s partnership didn’t make it. The two have since stopped speaking. Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Credit: Bloomberg, AP “There is disagreement, mistrust, egos,” Altman said. “The closer people are to being pointed in the same direction, the more contentious the disagreements are. You see this in sects and religious orders. There are bitter fights between the closest people.” Last month that infighting came to OpenAI’s boardroom. Rebel board members tried to force out Altman because, they believed, they could no longer trust him to build AI that would benefit humanity. Over five chaotic days, OpenAI looked as if it were going to fall apart, until the board – pressured by giant investors and employees who threatened to follow Altman out the door – backed down.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
The two have since stopped speaking. Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Credit: Bloomberg, AP “There is disagreement, mistrust, egos,” Altman said. “The closer people are to being pointed in the same direction, the more contentious the disagreements are. You see this in sects and religious orders. There are bitter fights between the closest people.” Last month that infighting came to OpenAI’s boardroom. Rebel board members tried to force out Altman because, they believed, they could no longer trust him to build AI that would benefit humanity. Over five chaotic days, OpenAI looked as if it were going to fall apart, until the board – pressured by giant investors and employees who threatened to follow Altman out the door – backed down.
The drama inside OpenAI gave the world its first glimpse of the bitter feuds among those who will determine the future of AI.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
The two have since stopped speaking. Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Credit: Bloomberg, AP “There is disagreement, mistrust, egos,” Altman said. “The closer people are to being pointed in the same direction, the more contentious the disagreements are. You see this in sects and religious orders. There are bitter fights between the closest people.” Last month that infighting came to OpenAI’s boardroom. Rebel board members tried to force out Altman because, they believed, they could no longer trust him to build AI that would benefit humanity. Over five chaotic days, OpenAI looked as if it were going to fall apart, until the board – pressured by giant investors and employees who threatened to follow Altman out the door – backed down.
The drama inside OpenAI gave the world its first glimpse of the bitter feuds among those who will determine the future of AI. But years before OpenAI’s near meltdown, there was a little-publicised but ferocious competition in Silicon Valley for control of the technology that is now quickly reshaping the world, from how children are taught to how wars are fought.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
“The closer people are to being pointed in the same direction, the more contentious the disagreements are. You see this in sects and religious orders. There are bitter fights between the closest people.” Last month that infighting came to OpenAI’s boardroom. Rebel board members tried to force out Altman because, they believed, they could no longer trust him to build AI that would benefit humanity. Over five chaotic days, OpenAI looked as if it were going to fall apart, until the board – pressured by giant investors and employees who threatened to follow Altman out the door – backed down.
The drama inside OpenAI gave the world its first glimpse of the bitter feuds among those who will determine the future of AI. But years before OpenAI’s near meltdown, there was a little-publicised but ferocious competition in Silicon Valley for control of the technology that is now quickly reshaping the world, from how children are taught to how wars are fought. The birth of DeepMind Five years before the Napa Valley party and two before the cat breakthrough on YouTube, Demis Hassabis, a 34-year-old neuroscientist, walked into a cocktail party at Thiel’s San Francisco town house and realised he had hit pay dirt.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
Over five chaotic days, OpenAI looked as if it were going to fall apart, until the board – pressured by giant investors and employees who threatened to follow Altman out the door – backed down.
The drama inside OpenAI gave the world its first glimpse of the bitter feuds among those who will determine the future of AI. But years before OpenAI’s near meltdown, there was a little-publicised but ferocious competition in Silicon Valley for control of the technology that is now quickly reshaping the world, from how children are taught to how wars are fought. The birth of DeepMind Five years before the Napa Valley party and two before the cat breakthrough on YouTube, Demis Hassabis, a 34-year-old neuroscientist, walked into a cocktail party at Thiel’s San Francisco town house and realised he had hit pay dirt. There in Thiel’s living room, overlooking the city’s Palace of Fine Arts and a swan pond, was a chessboard.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
The drama inside OpenAI gave the world its first glimpse of the bitter feuds among those who will determine the future of AI. But years before OpenAI’s near meltdown, there was a little-publicised but ferocious competition in Silicon Valley for control of the technology that is now quickly reshaping the world, from how children are taught to how wars are fought. The birth of DeepMind Five years before the Napa Valley party and two before the cat breakthrough on YouTube, Demis Hassabis, a 34-year-old neuroscientist, walked into a cocktail party at Thiel’s San Francisco town house and realised he had hit pay dirt. There in Thiel’s living room, overlooking the city’s Palace of Fine Arts and a swan pond, was a chessboard. Hassabis had once been the second-best player in the world in the under-14 category. “I was preparing for that meeting for a year,” Hassabis said.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
The drama inside OpenAI gave the world its first glimpse of the bitter feuds among those who will determine the future of AI. But years before OpenAI’s near meltdown, there was a little-publicised but ferocious competition in Silicon Valley for control of the technology that is now quickly reshaping the world, from how children are taught to how wars are fought. The birth of DeepMind Five years before the Napa Valley party and two before the cat breakthrough on YouTube, Demis Hassabis, a 34-year-old neuroscientist, walked into a cocktail party at Thiel’s San Francisco town house and realised he had hit pay dirt. There in Thiel’s living room, overlooking the city’s Palace of Fine Arts and a swan pond, was a chessboard. Hassabis had once been the second-best player in the world in the under-14 category. “I was preparing for that meeting for a year,” Hassabis said. “I thought that would be my unique hook in: I knew that he loved chess.”
In 2010, Hassabis and two colleagues, who all lived in Britain, were looking for money to start building “artificial general intelligence,” or AGI, a machine that could do anything the brain could do.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
The birth of DeepMind Five years before the Napa Valley party and two before the cat breakthrough on YouTube, Demis Hassabis, a 34-year-old neuroscientist, walked into a cocktail party at Thiel’s San Francisco town house and realised he had hit pay dirt. There in Thiel’s living room, overlooking the city’s Palace of Fine Arts and a swan pond, was a chessboard. Hassabis had once been the second-best player in the world in the under-14 category. “I was preparing for that meeting for a year,” Hassabis said. “I thought that would be my unique hook in: I knew that he loved chess.”
In 2010, Hassabis and two colleagues, who all lived in Britain, were looking for money to start building “artificial general intelligence,” or AGI, a machine that could do anything the brain could do. At the time, few people were interested in AI.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
The birth of DeepMind Five years before the Napa Valley party and two before the cat breakthrough on YouTube, Demis Hassabis, a 34-year-old neuroscientist, walked into a cocktail party at Thiel’s San Francisco town house and realised he had hit pay dirt. There in Thiel’s living room, overlooking the city’s Palace of Fine Arts and a swan pond, was a chessboard. Hassabis had once been the second-best player in the world in the under-14 category. “I was preparing for that meeting for a year,” Hassabis said. “I thought that would be my unique hook in: I knew that he loved chess.”
In 2010, Hassabis and two colleagues, who all lived in Britain, were looking for money to start building “artificial general intelligence,” or AGI, a machine that could do anything the brain could do. At the time, few people were interested in AI. After a half-century of research, the AI field had failed to deliver anything remotely close to the human brain.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
There in Thiel’s living room, overlooking the city’s Palace of Fine Arts and a swan pond, was a chessboard. Hassabis had once been the second-best player in the world in the under-14 category. “I was preparing for that meeting for a year,” Hassabis said. “I thought that would be my unique hook in: I knew that he loved chess.”
In 2010, Hassabis and two colleagues, who all lived in Britain, were looking for money to start building “artificial general intelligence,” or AGI, a machine that could do anything the brain could do. At the time, few people were interested in AI. After a half-century of research, the AI field had failed to deliver anything remotely close to the human brain. Demis Hassabis at the UK’s Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit, at Bletchley Park last month. Credit: Reuters Pool Still, some scientists and thinkers had become fixated on the downsides of AI.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
Hassabis had once been the second-best player in the world in the under-14 category. “I was preparing for that meeting for a year,” Hassabis said. “I thought that would be my unique hook in: I knew that he loved chess.”
In 2010, Hassabis and two colleagues, who all lived in Britain, were looking for money to start building “artificial general intelligence,” or AGI, a machine that could do anything the brain could do. At the time, few people were interested in AI. After a half-century of research, the AI field had failed to deliver anything remotely close to the human brain. Demis Hassabis at the UK’s Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit, at Bletchley Park last month. Credit: Reuters Pool Still, some scientists and thinkers had become fixated on the downsides of AI. Many, including the three young men from Britain, had a connection to Eliezer Yudkowsky, an internet philosopher and self-taught AI researcher.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
“I was preparing for that meeting for a year,” Hassabis said. “I thought that would be my unique hook in: I knew that he loved chess.”
In 2010, Hassabis and two colleagues, who all lived in Britain, were looking for money to start building “artificial general intelligence,” or AGI, a machine that could do anything the brain could do. At the time, few people were interested in AI. After a half-century of research, the AI field had failed to deliver anything remotely close to the human brain. Demis Hassabis at the UK’s Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit, at Bletchley Park last month. Credit: Reuters Pool Still, some scientists and thinkers had become fixated on the downsides of AI. Many, including the three young men from Britain, had a connection to Eliezer Yudkowsky, an internet philosopher and self-taught AI researcher. Yudkowsky was a leader in a community of people who called themselves Rationalists or, in later years, effective altruists.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
At the time, few people were interested in AI. After a half-century of research, the AI field had failed to deliver anything remotely close to the human brain. Demis Hassabis at the UK’s Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit, at Bletchley Park last month. Credit: Reuters Pool Still, some scientists and thinkers had become fixated on the downsides of AI. Many, including the three young men from Britain, had a connection to Eliezer Yudkowsky, an internet philosopher and self-taught AI researcher. Yudkowsky was a leader in a community of people who called themselves Rationalists or, in later years, effective altruists. They believed that AI could find a cure for cancer or solve climate change, but they worried that AI bots might do things their creators had not intended. If the machines became more intelligent than humans, the Rationalists argued, the machines could turn on their creators.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
At the time, few people were interested in AI. After a half-century of research, the AI field had failed to deliver anything remotely close to the human brain. Demis Hassabis at the UK’s Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit, at Bletchley Park last month. Credit: Reuters Pool Still, some scientists and thinkers had become fixated on the downsides of AI. Many, including the three young men from Britain, had a connection to Eliezer Yudkowsky, an internet philosopher and self-taught AI researcher. Yudkowsky was a leader in a community of people who called themselves Rationalists or, in later years, effective altruists. They believed that AI could find a cure for cancer or solve climate change, but they worried that AI bots might do things their creators had not intended. If the machines became more intelligent than humans, the Rationalists argued, the machines could turn on their creators. Thiel had become enormously wealthy through an early investment in Facebook and through his work with Musk in the early days of PayPal.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
Demis Hassabis at the UK’s Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit, at Bletchley Park last month. Credit: Reuters Pool Still, some scientists and thinkers had become fixated on the downsides of AI. Many, including the three young men from Britain, had a connection to Eliezer Yudkowsky, an internet philosopher and self-taught AI researcher. Yudkowsky was a leader in a community of people who called themselves Rationalists or, in later years, effective altruists. They believed that AI could find a cure for cancer or solve climate change, but they worried that AI bots might do things their creators had not intended. If the machines became more intelligent than humans, the Rationalists argued, the machines could turn on their creators. Thiel had become enormously wealthy through an early investment in Facebook and through his work with Musk in the early days of PayPal. He had developed a fascination with the singularity, a trope of science fiction that describes the moment when intelligent technology can no longer be controlled by humanity.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
Credit: Reuters Pool Still, some scientists and thinkers had become fixated on the downsides of AI. Many, including the three young men from Britain, had a connection to Eliezer Yudkowsky, an internet philosopher and self-taught AI researcher. Yudkowsky was a leader in a community of people who called themselves Rationalists or, in later years, effective altruists. They believed that AI could find a cure for cancer or solve climate change, but they worried that AI bots might do things their creators had not intended. If the machines became more intelligent than humans, the Rationalists argued, the machines could turn on their creators. Thiel had become enormously wealthy through an early investment in Facebook and through his work with Musk in the early days of PayPal. He had developed a fascination with the singularity, a trope of science fiction that describes the moment when intelligent technology can no longer be controlled by humanity.
With funding from Thiel, Yudkowsky had expanded his AI lab and created an annual conference on the singularity.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
Yudkowsky was a leader in a community of people who called themselves Rationalists or, in later years, effective altruists. They believed that AI could find a cure for cancer or solve climate change, but they worried that AI bots might do things their creators had not intended. If the machines became more intelligent than humans, the Rationalists argued, the machines could turn on their creators. Thiel had become enormously wealthy through an early investment in Facebook and through his work with Musk in the early days of PayPal. He had developed a fascination with the singularity, a trope of science fiction that describes the moment when intelligent technology can no longer be controlled by humanity.
With funding from Thiel, Yudkowsky had expanded his AI lab and created an annual conference on the singularity. Years before, one of Hassabis’ two colleagues had met Yudkowsky, and he snagged them speaking spots at the conference, ensuring they’d be invited to Thiel’s party.
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
They believed that AI could find a cure for cancer or solve climate change, but they worried that AI bots might do things their creators had not intended. If the machines became more intelligent than humans, the Rationalists argued, the machines could turn on their creators. Thiel had become enormously wealthy through an early investment in Facebook and through his work with Musk in the early days of PayPal. He had developed a fascination with the singularity, a trope of science fiction that describes the moment when intelligent technology can no longer be controlled by humanity.
With funding from Thiel, Yudkowsky had expanded his AI lab and created an annual conference on the singularity. Years before, one of Hassabis’ two colleagues had met Yudkowsky, and he snagged them speaking spots at the conference, ensuring they’d be invited to Thiel’s party. Yudkowsky introduced Hassabis to Thiel. Hassabis assumed that lots of people at the party would be trying to squeeze their host for money.
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1497
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How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
If the machines became more intelligent than humans, the Rationalists argued, the machines could turn on their creators. Thiel had become enormously wealthy through an early investment in Facebook and through his work with Musk in the early days of PayPal. He had developed a fascination with the singularity, a trope of science fiction that describes the moment when intelligent technology can no longer be controlled by humanity.
With funding from Thiel, Yudkowsky had expanded his AI lab and created an annual conference on the singularity. Years before, one of Hassabis’ two colleagues had met Yudkowsky, and he snagged them speaking spots at the conference, ensuring they’d be invited to Thiel’s party. Yudkowsky introduced Hassabis to Thiel. Hassabis assumed that lots of people at the party would be trying to squeeze their host for money. His strategy was to arrange another meeting. There was a deep tension between the bishop and the knight, he told Thiel.
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1498
|
How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
Thiel had become enormously wealthy through an early investment in Facebook and through his work with Musk in the early days of PayPal. He had developed a fascination with the singularity, a trope of science fiction that describes the moment when intelligent technology can no longer be controlled by humanity.
With funding from Thiel, Yudkowsky had expanded his AI lab and created an annual conference on the singularity. Years before, one of Hassabis’ two colleagues had met Yudkowsky, and he snagged them speaking spots at the conference, ensuring they’d be invited to Thiel’s party. Yudkowsky introduced Hassabis to Thiel. Hassabis assumed that lots of people at the party would be trying to squeeze their host for money. His strategy was to arrange another meeting. There was a deep tension between the bishop and the knight, he told Thiel. The two pieces carried the same value, but the best players understood that their strengths were vastly different. It worked.
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1499
|
How ego and fear fuelled the rise of artificial intelligence
He had developed a fascination with the singularity, a trope of science fiction that describes the moment when intelligent technology can no longer be controlled by humanity.
With funding from Thiel, Yudkowsky had expanded his AI lab and created an annual conference on the singularity. Years before, one of Hassabis’ two colleagues had met Yudkowsky, and he snagged them speaking spots at the conference, ensuring they’d be invited to Thiel’s party. Yudkowsky introduced Hassabis to Thiel. Hassabis assumed that lots of people at the party would be trying to squeeze their host for money. His strategy was to arrange another meeting. There was a deep tension between the bishop and the knight, he told Thiel. The two pieces carried the same value, but the best players understood that their strengths were vastly different. It worked. Charmed, Thiel invited the group back the next day, where they gathered in the kitchen.
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