🛡️ Slack AI security flaw exposed

🚨 OpenAI next to slam California AI Bill

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Martin Crowley & Liam Lawson
August 22, 2024

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TOGETHER WITH MECO

Welcome to AI Tool Report!

Thursday’s top story: The telecom company behind the fake Joe Biden robocall, has been fined $1M!

🌤️ This Morning on AI Tool Report

  1. 🤖 Biden robocall: $1M fine issued!

  2. 🔉 How to get personalized AI audio newsletter roundups

  3. 🚨 OpenAI next to slam California AI Bill

  4. 🔨 How to streamline AI model development

  5. 💻 How to improve your website using ChatGPT

  6. 🛡️ Slack AI security flaw exposed

Read Time: 5 minutes

STOCK MARKETS

Stock tracker

😐 In an uneventful trading session on Tuesday, the market remained unchanged across the board. The FOMC minutes were released, and interest rate cuts seem likely to start in September. This could be a massive bullish catalyst for stocks into 2025. Learn more.

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ROBOCALLS

Biden robocall: $1M fine issued!

Our Report: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued Lingo Telecoms—the telecom company behind the AI-generated robocall that impersonated Joe Biden—with a $1M civil penalty fine for using the technology to persuade New Hampshire voters not to vote in the primary elections in January.

🔑 Key Points:

  • The FCC found that Lingo was hired by political consultant, Steve Kramer (who was working for a rival campaign and had previously been behind similar scams), and has slapped him with a $6M fine and 26 criminal counts.

  • Alongside its seven-figure penalty, Lingo (which has previously been many different companies, including AKA Ameritel, Excel, and Startec) will need to follow stricter protocols, including caller ID authentication rules.

  • The FCC has also demanded Lingo “thoroughly verify the accuracy of the information provided by its customers and upstream providers,” as people “deserve to know that the voice on the line is who they claim to be.”

🤔 Why you should care: The FCC is calling this enforcement the first of its kind against AI-driven deep fakes, and has moved this quickly and aggressively to deter other political perpetrators from using AI to impersonate political figures to manipulate public opinion.

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REGULATIONS

OpenAI next to slam California AI Bill

Our Report: Earlier this week, Congresswoman—Nancy Pelosi—criticized the new Californian AI Bill, SB 1047 (designed to prevent large AI models from causing “critical harm” to humanity), calling it “well-intentioned but ill-informed,” believing it would stifle innovation in Silicon Valley and deter start-ups if passed, and now OpenAI has followed suit and written a letter to State Senator Scott Wiener (who originally proposed the Bill) expressing concerns that it would “threaten growth, slow the pace of innovation, and lead California’s world-class engineers and entrepreneurs to quit the state.”

🔑 Key Points:

  • Weiner has slammed OpenAI’s letter, saying it “makes no sense” because SB 1047’s requirements apply to any company doing business in California, regardless of whether they are headquartered in the State.

  • He also argued that OpenAI “doesn’t criticize a single provision of the bill,” because the Bill is simply asking “AI labs to do what they’ve already committed to doing, and test their large models for safety.”

  • Over 6 months, the Bill has been amended to include things like civil penalties for perjury and tighter enforcement abilities and is now headed for a final vote, with the result—whatever it is—likely to cause a backlash.

🤔 Why you should care: OpenAI has previously endorsed several AI bills designed to regulate AI models, most notably one that allows the US AI Safety Institute to set standards and guidelines for AI models which, on the surface, seems similar to SB 1047, but it appears to be standing behind politicians, investors, and other AI giants and influencers like Meta, Google, Anthropic, Zoe Lofgren, and a16z, who are all opposed to the state bill, and it’s even put plans to expand its San Fransisco offices on hold amid concerns over California’s unsettled regulatory landscape.

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PROMPT ENGINEERING

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Thursday’s Prompt: How to improve your website using ChatGPT

Type this prompt into ChatGPT:

❝

I want you to be a web design consultant. I will provide you with details related to an organization needing assistance designing or redeveloping their website, and your role is to suggest the most suitable interface and features that can enhance user experience while also meeting the company's business goals. You should use your knowledge of UX/UI design principles, coding languages, website development tools etc., to develop a comprehensive plan for the project. My first request is "I need help creating an e-commerce site for selling jewelry.”

Coding

Results: After typing this prompt, you will get a plan, complete with UX/UI, design, and coding suggestions, to help you improve your website and enhance the user experience while achieving business goals.

P.S. Use the Prompt Engineer GPT by AI Tool report to 10x your prompts.

PREMIUM INSIGHTS

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Learn how Zapier applies AI automation to optimize HR, support, content creation, engineering, and more. From onboarding to PR, see how Zapier leverages AI to enhance efficiency and productivity in every department.

BREAKING NEWS

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SECURITY

  • Cybersecurity researchers have discovered that Slack’s AI feature (which creates summaries of conversations across different channels), could allow hackers to steal sensitive information from private Slack channels.

  • They uncovered a vulnerability that allows hackers to gain unauthorized access to data within private channels and trick Slack AI into generating phishing links, deceiving people into revealing sensitive information.

  • When they were notified about the vulnerability, Slack launched an investigation, “deployed a patch to address the issue,” and reassured users that it had “no evidence of unauthorized access to customer data."

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Until next time, Martin & Liam.

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