North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers met in Norway's capital city Oslo on Thursday (June 1) to discuss support for Ukraine and Sweden's NATO membership bid.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers met in Norway's capital city Oslo on Thursday (June 1) to discuss support for Ukraine and Sweden's NATO membership bid. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the ministers are expected to discuss the ongoing situation in Ukraine, which has been combating the Russian invasion since February last year. During the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he spoke earlier this week with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he won the re-election. The conversation comes as Stoltenberg announced he would soon travel to Turkey to discuss Sweden's request (to join NATO), to close a process that has been delayed due to objections from member countries Turkey and Hungary. Turkey ratified Finland's NATO accession in March but said Sweden harbours members of militant groups it considers terrorists. Stoltenberg also said that Russia cannot stop Ukraine from becoming a NATO member. 'NATO needs to think about what security guarantees it can give Ukraine' Ahead of the NATO foreign ministers meeting, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said the intergovernmental military alliance needed to think about what kind of security guarantees it can give Ukraine. "I have to recall a simple principle of international law, which is that all sovereign states have the right to freely choose their alliances," Colanna said. Apart from Colanna, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Ukraine should be given a "very clear path" towards becoming a NATO member. "We must give a very strong message that there won't be any grey zones any more in the neighbouring of Russia," Tsahkna said, Reuters reported. However, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned NATO cannot be joined by a country while it is in the midst of a war. "And as a result of the Russian war of aggression, cooperation with Ukraine and NATO has further intensified and therefore what NATO has always made clear is the open door policy and at the same time it is also clear that in the middle of a war we cannot speak about a new membership," Baerbock said. And Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn warned NATO's mutual assistance clause meant the alliance would enter the war with Russia if it accepted Ukraine as a member while the fighting goes on. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

NATO foreign ministers meet in Oslo to discuss support for Ukraine, Sweden's membership bid

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing by the day and, like it or not, it has invaded our personal and professional lives. Photography, practised by some as a profession and by others as a hobby, is the latest to be taken over by AI.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing by the day and, like it or not, it has invaded our personal and professional lives. Photography, practised by some as a profession and by others as a hobby, is the latest to be taken over by AI. Bjørn Karmann, an Amsterdam-based senior experience and interaction designer, took to Twitter to introduce Paragraphica, a context-to-image camera that uses location data and artificial intelligence to visualise a "photo" of a specific place and moment. The striking feature of this camera - it has no lens. Introducing – Paragraphica! 📡📷 A camera that takes photos using location data. It describes the place you are at and then converts it into an AI-generated "photo". See more here: https://t.co/Oh2BZuhRcf or try to take your own photo here: https://t.co/w9UFjckiF2 pic.twitter.com/23kR2QGzpa — Bjørn Karmann (@BjoernKarmann) May 30, 2023 × Karmann tweeted that Paragraphica describes the place you are at and then converts it into an AI-generated photo. The camera exists both as a physical prototype and a virtual camera that you can try. The virtual camera is currently under high traffic and may not load or work for you, according to Karmann's website. How does Paragaphica work? On his website, Karmann said the viewfinder on Paragraphica displays a real-time description of your current location, and by pressing the trigger, the camera will create a scintigraphic representation of the description. Three dials on the camera let users control the data and AI parameters to influence the appearance of the photo, similar to how a traditional camera works. "The camera operates by collecting data from its location using open APIs, utilising the address, weather, time of day, and nearby places. Combining all these data points, Paragraphica composes a paragraph that details a representation of the current place and moment," the website adds. Resulting photo is not just a snapshot, but much more On Twitter, Bjørn Karmann uploaded photographs clicked with Paragraphica at different locations. The photographs were not just a snapshot but also provided information about the location, the current weather and nearby places. Take a look: pic.twitter.com/JVneFqKinX — Bjørn Karmann (@BjoernKarmann) May 30, 2023 × "Using a text-to-image AI, the camera converts the paragraph into a photo," the designer's website said, adding, "The resulting photo is not just a snapshot, but a complex and nuanced reflection of the location you are at, and perhaps how the AI model sees that place." The photographs also capture some reminiscent moods and emotions from the place but in an uncanny way. But would this camera be up for sale? Here's what Karmann tweeted, "There are a lot of questions in the threads, so I like to clarify that this is a passion art project, with no intention of making a product or challenging photography. Rather, it's questioning the role of AI in a time of creative tension." WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

This camera with no lens uses location data and AI to generate photos

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who concluded his four-day visit to violence-hit Manipur, said on Thursday (June 1) that the Central Government has constituted a probe committee that will investigate the incidents of ethnic violence in the state that led to the loss of lives and damage to property.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who concluded his four-day visit to violence-hit Manipur, said on Thursday (June 1) that the Central Government has constituted a probe committee that will investigate the incidents of ethnic violence in the state that led to the loss of lives and damage to property. Addressing a press conference, Union Home Minister Shah said, "Central Government has constituted a committee headed by a retired judge of the High Court to probe into these incidents. The Governor of Manipur will head a peace committee with members of Civil society," the news agency ANI reported. ALSO READ | Manipur violence: Situation in state got nothing to do with counter-insurgency, says CDS Shah said that several agencies were working in Manipur to investigate violent incidents, adding that a high-level Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into six incidents of violence hinted at a conspiracy. Joint Secretary and Joint Director level officers of Home Ministery and other ministries will be present in Manipur to help people and take stock of the situation in the state: Union Home Minister Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/XulNauWfBf — ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2023 × "Manipur Govt will provide Rs 5 lakh compensation to the next of kin of deceased victims through DBT. Central Govt to also give Rs 5 lakh compensation to next of kin of deceased victims through DBT. Relief measures for victims of violence in Manipur," he added. The Union home minister also said that the central government provided eight teams of medical experts including 20 doctors to the state to provide aid to victims of violence. "Five teams already reached (Manipur) and three others are on their way," Amit Shah added. The ethnic violence in Manipur started on May 3 when tribal groups, including the Kuki community, clashed with the ethnic majority of Meitei people, a non-tribal group, over economic benefits and quotas given to the tribes. Amit Shah appeals for '15 days of peace' to find solution Earlier during his meetings with stakeholders in Manipur, Amit Shah appealed for 15 days of peace to bring normalcy and find solutions. According to a report by The Hindu newspaper, Muan Tombing, general secretary of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum said that Shah said the central government would appoint a judicial commission and separate teams will visit Imphal and Churachandpur during the 15 days. Manipur police chief replaced On Thursday, Manipur police chief P Doungel was removed and he would be replaced by Rajiv Singh, an IPS officer of the Tripura cadre. Singh was previously the Inspector General (IG) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and was sent on an inter-cadre deputation to Manipur. Rajiv Singh appointed as Manipur DGP, Head of Police Force. P Doungel appointed as OSD(Home) pic.twitter.com/405d6FGfxi — ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2023 × P Doungel has been transferred to the Home Department. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Manipur violence: Amit Shah says panel led by ex-HC judge to probe clashes; top cop replaced

Global mining giant&nbsp;BHP&nbsp;said Thursday it had been underpaying thousands of Australian staff for more than a decade, an error that will cost at least US$280 million to fix.

The company said 28,500 current and former employees were stripped of paid leave they were entitled to.&nbsp;

BHP&nbsp;Australia president Geraldine Slattery said the error would be rectified "as quickly as possible" and "with interest".

The company did not explain how the error occurred.

"We are sorry to all current and former employees impacted by these errors. This is not good enough and falls short of the standards we expect at&nbsp;BHP," Slattery said.

BHP&nbsp;expects to have a fuller estimate of the cost of the error when it reports earnings in August, but it put the initial price tag at "US$280 million pre-tax."

The company's share price fell almost one percent on the news.

BHP&nbsp;is one of the world's largest companies, and a leading producer of metallurgical coal, iron ore, nickel, copper and potash.

Australia has some of the world's strongest labour protections and it is not uncommon for companies to discover problems with past payrolls and be forced to rectify the situation.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Global mining giant BHP said Thursday it had been underpaying thousands of Australian staff for more than a decade, an error that will cost at least US$280 million to fix.

Global mining giant BHP said Thursday it had been underpaying thousands of Australian staff for more than a decade, an error that will cost at least US$280 million to fix. The company said 28,500 current and former employees were stripped of paid leave they were entitled to. BHP Australia president Geraldine Slattery said the error would be rectified "as quickly as possible" and "with interest". The company did not explain how the error occurred. "We are sorry to all current and former employees impacted by these errors. This is not good enough and falls short of the standards we expect at BHP," Slattery said. BHP expects to have a fuller estimate of the cost of the error when it reports earnings in August, but it put the initial price tag at "US$280 million pre-tax." The company's share price fell almost one percent on the news. BHP is one of the world's largest companies, and a leading producer of metallurgical coal, iron ore, nickel, copper and potash. Australia has some of the world's strongest labour protections and it is not uncommon for companies to discover problems with past payrolls and be forced to rectify the situation. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Mining giant BHP faces $280 million cost for underpaying staff

At least 60 infants, toddlers, and other children died over the past six weeks while trapped in harrowing conditions in an orphanage in Sudan's capital city of Khartoum as the fighting between the warring factions rages on.

At least 60 infants, toddlers, and other children died over the past six weeks while trapped in harrowing conditions in an orphanage in Sudan's capital city of Khartoum as the fighting between the warring factions rages on. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press on Wednesday (May 31), most of these children at the Al-Mayqoma orphanage died from lack of food and fever. The deceased included babies as young as three months, as per the death certificates. Videos taken by orphanage workers showed the bodies of children tightly wrapped in white sheets awaiting burial. In another video, around two dozen toddlers wearing diapers sat on the floor of a room, many of them wailing, as a woman carries two metal jugs of water. ‘A catastrophic situation’: Orphanage worker Speaking to the Associated Press, an orphanage worker said that the toddlers were moved to a large room after nearby shelling blanketed another part of the facility with heavy dust last week. ALSO READ | Sudan negotiation talks fall apart as warring factions blame each other for ceasefire violations Afkar Omar Moustafa, a volunteer at the orphanage, said, "It is a catastrophic situation. This was something we expected from day one (of the fighting)." Other orphanage workers warned that more children could die and called for their speedy evacuation from Khartoum. Citing data, the report said that on Monday, there were at least 341 children at the orphanage, including 165 infants between the ages of one and six months and 48 ranging from seven to 12 months. And the remaining children were between the ages of one and 13 years. Following the beginning of the conflict, among those at the orphanage were two dozen children who had been sent back from Khartoum hospitals. Heda Abdalla, who joined the orphanage as a child and is now a nurse there, said these hospitals had to close because of a lack of power or nearby shelling. Khartoum: 19 killed, 106 injured in shelling at market Nineteen people were killed and 106 others were injured in shelling at a market in a poor area south of Khartoum, according to a report by The Guardian early Thursday. Residents said that six tank shells were fired from al-Shajara and targeted the neighbourhood of Mayo. In a statement, the Sudanese Doctors Trade Union said, "The cases have been increasing, the medical staff are under pressure to deal with so many cases with limited staff, we call all doctors and medical cadres who are nearby to come to the hospital so they can help as much as they can.” (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Sudan conflict: At least 60 children trapped in Khartoum orphanage die, 280 still trapped

Elizabeth Holmes: From Theranos CEO to inmate 

Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of blood testing startup Theranos has been jailed for 11 years for defrauding investors. She started her prison sentence on May 30. 

Elizabeth Holmes gained prominence after she claimed that Theranos’ small machines could run an array of diagnostic tests with just a few drops of blood. But the technology never came to work. 

World’s youngest female self-made billionaire in 2014 

Forbes had dubbed Elizabeth Holmes as the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire in 2014, and her stake in Theranos was worth $4.5 billion.

Serious flaws in Theranos’ technology were exposed in a series of reports in the Wall Street Journal which Holmes and her former romantic and business partner Ramesh Balwani tried to thwart. The firm collapsed in 2018. 

Holmes to serve prison sentence in Texas 

Holmes would serve her 11-year prison sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas. Balwani, meanwhile, was convicted of fraud and conspiracy and is serving a nearly 13-year sentence in a Southern California prison. 

A 50-year-old man accused of killing 11 worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018, could face the death penalty if found guilty in a federal trial that opened on Tuesday (May 30).

A 50-year-old man accused of killing 11 worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018, could face the death penalty if found guilty in a federal trial that opened on Tuesday (May 30). According to a report by the news agency Reuters, Robert Bowers is on trial on dozens of federal charges, including 11 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, over the mass shooting that unfolded at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue. He pleaded not guilty. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors and Bowers' lawyers were scheduled to deliver opening statements to jurors. The trial at the US District Court in western Pennsylvania is expected to take weeks to complete. What happened on October 27? On October 27, 2018, Bowers moved methodically through the synagogue, shooting everyone he could find, killing 11 worshippers and seven others in the deadliest antisemitic attack in the history of the United States. The police shot him three times before he surrendered. On Tuesday, his lead lawyer Judy Clarke said Bowers “shot every person he saw”, but questioned whether the 50-year-old acted out of hatred, as prosecutors contend, or an irrational belief that he needed to kill Jews to save others from the genocide he claimed they were enabling by helping immigrants come to the US. “He had what to us is this unthinkable, nonsensical, irrational thought: that by killing Jews, he would attain his goal,” Clarke said, the news agency Associated Press reported. "There is no making sense of this senseless act Mr Bowers caused extraordinary harm to many, many people," she added. In court filings, his lawyers have repeatedly tried to get the court to strike the death penalty as a sentencing option, calling it unconstitutional because he suffers from major mental illness, including schizophrenia. The prosecutors, meanwhile, said on Tuesday that the attacker made incriminating statements to investigators and left an online trail of antisemitic statements that they say shows the attack was motivated by religious hatred. Bowers harboured deep animosity towards Jewish people: Prosecutors In a court filing earlier this year, prosecutors said Bowers “harboured deep, murderous animosity towards all Jewish people.” He also hated the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)- a non-profit humanitarian group that helps refugees and asylum seekers. The prosecutors said Bowers had nearly 400 followers on his Gab social media account “to whom he promoted his antisemitic views and calls for violence against Jews.” (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Pittsburgh synagogue shooting: Attacker could face death penalty in trial

Tesla's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk met Chinese Industry Minister Jin Zhuanglong in Beijing on Wednesday (May 31) to discuss ways to develop new energy vehicles.

Tesla's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk met Chinese Industry Minister Jin Zhuanglong in Beijing on Wednesday (May 31) to discuss ways to develop new energy vehicles. According to a readout from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Musk met Zhuanglong to discuss "the development of new energy vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles." The readout did not give any further details. Musk arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, his first trip to China in more than three years. On Wednesday, the Tesla CEO visited the Commerce Ministry. Speaking to reporters, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "Regarding your second question about the situation of Mr. Musk visiting China, China has released information on relevant meetings which you can check. I have no further information to add." Musk was seen leaving his hotel accompanied by Tesla's China-based public affairs chief Grace Tao and head of global manufacturing Tom Zhu. His car was later seen parked outside the ministry. Musk meets Chinese foreign minister A day back, Musk met Chinese Foreign Minister Qing Gang hours after landing in Beijing. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, Gang told Musk that China was committed to improving the business environment for investors, including Tesla, and used an elaborate driving metaphor to describe China-US relations. The Tesla CEO, meanwhile, expressed his opposition to an economic decoupling between Washington and Beijing. "The interests of the United States and China are intertwined, like conjoined twins, who are inseparable from each other," Musk added. 'He's a pioneer': Musk showered with praise during China trip Musk has been showered with praise since the time he arrived in Beijing. There is an outpour of enthusiasm for him on Chinese social media. "He's a global idol," commented one user. "Elon Musk is just great, if only China could have someone like Elon Musk," said another. His visit to China comes as Tesla is facing intensifying competition from Chinese-made electric vehicles and some uncertainty about expansion plans for the Shanghai plant. And his extensive ties to China have raised eyebrows in the US, with President Joe Biden saying in November 2022 that the executive's links to foreign countries were "worthy" of scrutiny. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Elon Musk in China: Tesla CEO, minister talk ways to develop new energy vehicles

Russian lawmakers on Tuesday (May 30) introduced a draft bill that would ban gender-affirming surgery. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press, the draft bill was submitted by 400 members of the 450-seat lower house - the State Duma.

Russian lawmakers on Tuesday (May 30) introduced a draft bill that would ban gender-affirming surgery. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press, the draft bill was submitted by 400 members of the 450-seat lower house - the State Duma. The bill would ban any gender-affirming surgery except the one intended to treat “congenital physiological anomalies.” The report said that such an exception would be regulated by dedicated medical panels that will be closely overseen by the government. The bill would also ban legal name and gender changes in public records and official documents. 'Bill intended to protect Russia with its culture, family values': Lawmaker Senior Russian lawmaker Pyotr Tolstoy, who is one of the authors of the draft bill, said on Tuesday the legislation is intended to protect Russia's cultural and family values and traditions and to stop the infiltration of the Western anti-family ideology. This bill is the latest step in a Kremlin-orchestrated crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights. It would certainly win quick approval by the State Duma and the upper house before Russian President Vladimir Putin signs it into law. It reflects an increasingly intolerant Kremlin stand on gender-related issues. President Putin, who has initiated constitutional changes, including an amendment defining marriage exclusively as a union between a man and a woman, has repeatedly mocked LGBTQ+ rights. On December 5 last year, Putin signed a law that significantly expanded restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBT rights in the country. The Associated Press then reported that this law outlawed advertising, media and online resources, books, films, and theatre productions deemed to contain such “propaganda.” It also broadened the existing restrictions by banning information about gender transitions to be spread to minors and banning information deemed to be propaganda promoting paedophilia. The violations are punishable by fines and, if committed by non-residents, could lead to their expulsion from Russia. Rights groups hit out at the law as a state encouragement of homophobia, intolerance and discrimination. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Russia introduces draft bill to ban gender-affirming surgery

The Delhi Police said on Tuesday (May 30) that the accused in the horrific Shahbad Dairy murder case had planned the killing for two days after the 16-year-old girl rebuffed him in front of her friends and refused to mend their relationship, the news agency PTI reported.

The Delhi Police said on Tuesday (May 30) that the accused in the horrific Shahbad Dairy murder case had planned the killing for two days after the 16-year-old girl rebuffed him in front of her friends and refused to mend their relationship, the news agency PTI reported. Last Sunday (May 28), Sahil, 20, stabbed Sakshi, 16, more than 20 times and then bludgeoned her with a cement slab, killing her on the spot. She was found to have 34 injury marks on her body and her skull was smashed. The police also said that the knife used by Sahil in the murder was bought by him 16 days back from Haridwar and it was thrown near Rithala Metro Station in Delhi after the crime. He then took a bus for Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh from the Anand Vihar bus terminus, the police added. Sahil was arrested in Bulandshahr after a call from his aunt to his father was traced to the location. He was brought to Delhi on Monday evening. The 20-year-old was produced at a Delhi court here which sent him on police remand for two days. According to police, Sakshi and Sahil had been seeing each other since June 2021. But for the last three to four months, she started moving away from the accused. Sakshi broke up with Sahil nine days back. Accused suspected victim was getting involved with ex-boyfriend: Cops The Delhi Police said that Sahil suspected that Sakshi was getting involved with her ex-boyfriend Praveen. "The statements by him are being verified. Sometimes he says she ignored him which angered him. But he also suspected that Sakshi was getting involved with her former boyfriend," an officer told PTI. The police said that Sakshi was with Praveen for three to four years before she was in a relationship with Sahil. The accused claimed that Sakshi was keen to get back with Praveen since he had a motorcycle, the police added. Last Saturday, Sakshi warned Sahil to stay away from her. She was with her friend Bhawna and her boyfriend Jhabru at the time. Jhabru too threatened to beat Sahil if he came near Sakshi. The victim also mentioned the name of her friend Neetu's husband, a known criminal in the area, to threaten Sahil. Police recreate the crime scene The police recreated the crime scene by taking Sahil to the murder site and may also conduct a psycho-analysis test. The CCTV footage before Sakshi's murder has come to the fore, where the 16-year-old was going towards the place of crime two minutes before the incident. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Delhi teen girl’s brutal murder: Accused planned murder for two days, say police

The South Korean military said on Wednesday (May 31) that it had located and was salvaging a suspected part of the North Korean spy satellite that crashed soon after launch because of a rocket failure.

The South Korean military said on Wednesday (May 31) that it had located and was salvaging a suspected part of the North Korean spy satellite that crashed soon after launch because of a rocket failure. "At around 08:05 today, our military identified an object presumed to be part of North Korea's claimed 'Space Launch Vehicle' in waters 200km (124 miles) west of Eocheong Island and is salvaging it," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the news agency AFP reported. The military also released images of a part of the spy satellite. The images showed a large-barrel-like metal structure with some thin pipes and wires at the bottom, which the military said it salvaged in waters 200 kilometres west of Eocheong Island. The new "Chollima-1" satellite launch rocket failed because of instability in the engine and fuel system, according to the state news agency KCNA. This flight was North Korea's sixth satellite launch attempt and the first since 2016. Panic in Seoul after spy satellite launch Air raid sirens and mobile phone alerts calling for evacuations caused panic among residents of South Korea's capital city of Seoul after North Korea launched its spy satellite. The sirens started at 6.32 am (2132 GMT Tuesday) as the city issued a "Presidential Alert" asking citizens to prepare for a potential evacuation, the news agency Reuters reported. Shortly after, a second mobile alert came calling for evacuation which remained in place for at least 10 minutes until the administration said it had been sent in error. Speaking to Reuters, Seoul resident Lee Juyeon said, "I was so panicked. Nine-one-one lines were busy and the internet was slow." Juyeon, who has a nine-month-old child, also said, "So without knowing what was really happening, I was about to head down to a basement wearing a wrap carrier with my baby." Though residents are used to living in the shadow of threats from North Korea, an element of complacency has crept in among many in the city about the risks and how to respond. ALSO READ | Explained: When world was battling pandemic, why North Korea was busy sealing borders with China and Russia Reuters reported that some office workers in Seoul's central district said they had considered during their commute how to respond to the alarm, such as by withdrawing cash or hoarding water. "I understand it was a mistake, but even if it has to be simple, that alert message should have said what went on and where to go," Kim Jong-hyun, 48, said on his way to work after dropping off his child at school. On Wednesday morning, "alerts" and "evacuation" were the most trending topics on Twitter in South Korea. N. Korea launch violates UN resolutions: Japan Japan, which briefly activated its missile alert warning system for the Okinawa region after Pyongyang's military spy satellite launch, that such a launch by North Korea violated the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. "We cannot tolerate this kind of launch whether it is a satellite or anything else, as it violates UN resolutions," Japan's Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters. Earlier, the Prime Minister's office tweeted, "Missile launch. Missile launch. North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please take shelter inside buildings or underground." But half an hour later, the government tweeted that the alert was being cancelled. "It is expected that the missile reported earlier will not come to Japan. The call for evacuation is lifted," it said. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

South Korea ‘salvaging debris’ of crashed North  Korean military spy satellite

&nbsp;"I actually like Ron DeSantis a lot," Hillary Clinton reveals in a surprise online endorsement video. "He's just the kind of guy this country needs, and I really mean that."

Joe Biden finally lets the mask slip, unleashing a cruel rant at a transgender person. "You will never be a real woman," the president snarls.

Welcome to America's&nbsp;2024&nbsp;presidential race, where reality is up for grabs.

The Clinton and Biden deepfakes - realistic yet fabricated videos created by AI algorithms trained on copious online footage - are among thousands surfacing on social media, blurring fact and fiction in the polarized world of US&nbsp;politics.

While such synthetic media has been around for several years, it's been turbocharged over the past year by of a slew of new "generative AI" tools such as Midjourney that make it cheap and easy to create convincing deepfakes, according to Reuters interviews with about two dozen specialists in fields including AI, online misinformation and political activism.

"It's going to be very difficult for voters to distinguish the real from the fake. And you could just imagine how either Trump supporters or Biden supporters could use this technology to make the opponent look bad," said Darrell West, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation.

"There could be things that drop right before the election that nobody has a chance to take down."

Tools that can generate deepfakes are being released with few or imperfect guardrails to prevent harmful misinformation as the tech sector engages in an AI arms race, said Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Human Technology, a nonprofit that studies technology's impact on society.

Former President Donald Trump, who will vie with DeSantis and others for the Republican nomination to face Biden, himself shared a doctored video of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper earlier this month on his social media platform Truth Social.

"That was President Donald J. Trump ripping us a new asshole here on CNN's live presidential townhall," Cooper says in the footage, although the words don't match his lip movement.

CNN said the video was a deepfake. A representative for Trump didn't respond to a request for comment on the clip, which was still on his son Donald Jr's Twitter page this week.

While major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have made efforts to prohibit and remove deepfakes, their effectiveness at policing such content varies.

<h2>Deepfake Pence, not Trump</h2>

There have been three times as many video deepfakes of all kinds and eight times as many voice deepfakes posted online this year compared to the same time period in 2022, according to DeepMedia, a company working on tools to detect synthetic media.

In total, about 500,000 video and voice deepfakes will be shared on social media sites globally in 2023, DeepMedia estimates. Cloning a voice used to cost $10,000 in server and AI-training costs up until late last year, but now startups offer it for a few dollars, it says.

No one is certain where the generative AI road leads or how to effectively guard against its power for mass misinformation, according to the people interviewed.

Industry leader OpenAI, which has changed the game in recent months with its release of ChatGPT and the updated model GPT-4, is itself grappling with the issue. CEO Sam Altman told Congress this month that election integrity was a "significant area of concern" and urged rapid regulation of the sector.

Unlike some smaller startups, OpenAI has taken steps to restrict use of its products in politics, according to a Reuters analysis of the terms of use of half a dozen leading companies offering generative-AI services.

The guardrails have gaps, though.

For example, OpenAI says it prohibits its image generator DALL-E from creating public figures - and indeed, when Reuters tried to create images of Trump and Biden, the request was blocked and a message appeared saying it "may not follow our content policy."

Yet Reuters was able to create images of at least a dozen other US&nbsp;politicians, including former Vice-President Mike Pence, who is also weighing a White House run for&nbsp;2024.

OpenAI also restricts any "scaled" usage of its products for political purposes. That bans use of its AI to send out mass personalized emails to constituents, for example.

The company, which is backed by Microsoft, explained its political policies to Reuters in an interview but didn't respond to further requests for comment around enforcement gaps in its policies, such as blocking image creation of politicians.

Several smaller startups have no explicit restrictions on political content.

Midjourney, which launched last year, is the leading player in AI-generated images, with 16 million users on its official Discord server. The app, which ranges from free to $60 a month depending on factors such as picture quantity and speed, is a favorite of AI designers and artists due to its ability to generate hyper-realistic images of celebrities and politicians, according to four AI researchers and creators interviewed.

Midjourney didn't respond to a request for comment for this article. During an online chat on Discord last week, CEO David Holz said the company would likely make changes ahead of the election to combat misinformation.

Midjourney wants to cooperate on an industry solution to enable traceability of AI-generated images with a digital equivalent of watermarking and would consider blocking images of political candidates, Holz added.

<h2>Republican AI-generated ad</h2>

Even as the industry wrestles with how to prevent misuse, some political players are themselves seeking to harness the power of generative AI to soup up campaigns.

So far, the only high-profile AI-generated political ad in the US was one published by the Republican National Committee in late April. The 30-second ad, which the RNC disclosed as being entirely generated by AI, used fake images to suggest a cataclysmic scenario should Biden be reelected, with China invading Taiwan and San Francisco being shut down by crime.

The RNC didn't respond to requests for comment on the ad or its wider use of AI. The Democratic National Committee declined to comment on its use of the technology.

Reuters polled all the Republican presidential campaigns on their use of AI. Most did not reply, although Nikki Haley's team said they were not using the technology and longshot candidate Perry Johnson's campaign said it was using AI for "copy generation and iteration," without giving further details.

The potential for generative AI to produce campaign emails, posts and adverts is irresistible for some activists who feel the low-cost tech could level the playing field in elections.

Even deep in rural Hillsdale, Michigan, machine intelligence is on the march.

Jon Smith, Republican chair for Michigan's 5th Congressional district, is holding several educational meetings so his allies can learn to use AI for social media and ad generation.

"AI helps us play against the big cats," he said. "I see the biggest upswing in the local races. Someone who is 65 years old, a farmer and county commissioner, he could easily be primaried by a younger cat using the technology."

Political consultancies are also seeking to harness AI, further muddying the line between real and unreal.

Numinar Analytics, a political data company that focuses on Republican clients, has begun experimenting with AI content generation for audio and images, as well as voice-generation to potentially create personalized messaging in a candidate's voice, founder Will Long said in an interview.

Democratic polling and strategy group Honan Strategy Group is meanwhile trying to develop an AI survey bot. It hopes to unroll a female bot in time for the 2023 municipal elections, CEO Bradley Honan said, citing research that both men and women are more likely to speak to a female interviewer. &nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

"I actually like Ron DeSantis a lot," Hillary Clinton reveals in a surprise online endorsement video. "He's just the kind of guy this country needs, and I really mean that.

"I actually like Ron DeSantis a lot," Hillary Clinton reveals in a surprise online endorsement video. "He's just the kind of guy this country needs, and I really mean that." Joe Biden finally lets the mask slip, unleashing a cruel rant at a transgender person. "You will never be a real woman," the president snarls. Welcome to America's 2024 presidential race, where reality is up for grabs. The Clinton and Biden deepfakes - realistic yet fabricated videos created by AI algorithms trained on copious online footage - are among thousands surfacing on social media, blurring fact and fiction in the polarized world of US politics. While such synthetic media has been around for several years, it's been turbocharged over the past year by of a slew of new "generative AI" tools such as Midjourney that make it cheap and easy to create convincing deepfakes, according to Reuters interviews with about two dozen specialists in fields including AI, online misinformation and political activism. "It's going to be very difficult for voters to distinguish the real from the fake. And you could just imagine how either Trump supporters or Biden supporters could use this technology to make the opponent look bad," said Darrell West, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation. "There could be things that drop right before the election that nobody has a chance to take down." Tools that can generate deepfakes are being released with few or imperfect guardrails to prevent harmful misinformation as the tech sector engages in an AI arms race, said Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Human Technology, a nonprofit that studies technology's impact on society. Former President Donald Trump, who will vie with DeSantis and others for the Republican nomination to face Biden, himself shared a doctored video of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper earlier this month on his social media platform Truth Social. "That was President Donald J. Trump ripping us a new asshole here on CNN's live presidential townhall," Cooper says in the footage, although the words don't match his lip movement. CNN said the video was a deepfake. A representative for Trump didn't respond to a request for comment on the clip, which was still on his son Donald Jr's Twitter page this week. While major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have made efforts to prohibit and remove deepfakes, their effectiveness at policing such content varies. Deepfake Pence, not Trump There have been three times as many video deepfakes of all kinds and eight times as many voice deepfakes posted online this year compared to the same time period in 2022, according to DeepMedia, a company working on tools to detect synthetic media. In total, about 500,000 video and voice deepfakes will be shared on social media sites globally in 2023, DeepMedia estimates. Cloning a voice used to cost $10,000 in server and AI-training costs up until late last year, but now startups offer it for a few dollars, it says. No one is certain where the generative AI road leads or how to effectively guard against its power for mass misinformation, according to the people interviewed. Industry leader OpenAI, which has changed the game in recent months with its release of ChatGPT and the updated model GPT-4, is itself grappling with the issue. CEO Sam Altman told Congress this month that election integrity was a "significant area of concern" and urged rapid regulation of the sector. Unlike some smaller startups, OpenAI has taken steps to restrict use of its products in politics, according to a Reuters analysis of the terms of use of half a dozen leading companies offering generative-AI services. The guardrails have gaps, though. For example, OpenAI says it prohibits its image generator DALL-E from creating public figures - and indeed, when Reuters tried to create images of Trump and Biden, the request was blocked and a message appeared saying it "may not follow our content policy." Yet Reuters was able to create images of at least a dozen other US politicians, including former Vice-President Mike Pence, who is also weighing a White House run for 2024. OpenAI also restricts any "scaled" usage of its products for political purposes. That bans use of its AI to send out mass personalized emails to constituents, for example. The company, which is backed by Microsoft, explained its political policies to Reuters in an interview but didn't respond to further requests for comment around enforcement gaps in its policies, such as blocking image creation of politicians. Several smaller startups have no explicit restrictions on political content. Midjourney, which launched last year, is the leading player in AI-generated images, with 16 million users on its official Discord server. The app, which ranges from free to $60 a month depending on factors such as picture quantity and speed, is a favorite of AI designers and artists due to its ability to generate hyper-realistic images of celebrities and politicians, according to four AI researchers and creators interviewed. Midjourney didn't respond to a request for comment for this article. During an online chat on Discord last week, CEO David Holz said the company would likely make changes ahead of the election to combat misinformation. Midjourney wants to cooperate on an industry solution to enable traceability of AI-generated images with a digital equivalent of watermarking and would consider blocking images of political candidates, Holz added. Republican AI-generated ad Even as the industry wrestles with how to prevent misuse, some political players are themselves seeking to harness the power of generative AI to soup up campaigns. So far, the only high-profile AI-generated political ad in the US was one published by the Republican National Committee in late April. The 30-second ad, which the RNC disclosed as being entirely generated by AI, used fake images to suggest a cataclysmic scenario should Biden be reelected, with China invading Taiwan and San Francisco being shut down by crime. The RNC didn't respond to requests for comment on the ad or its wider use of AI. The Democratic National Committee declined to comment on its use of the technology. Reuters polled all the Republican presidential campaigns on their use of AI. Most did not reply, although Nikki Haley's team said they were not using the technology and longshot candidate Perry Johnson's campaign said it was using AI for "copy generation and iteration," without giving further details. The potential for generative AI to produce campaign emails, posts and adverts is irresistible for some activists who feel the low-cost tech could level the playing field in elections. Even deep in rural Hillsdale, Michigan, machine intelligence is on the march. Jon Smith, Republican chair for Michigan's 5th Congressional district, is holding several educational meetings so his allies can learn to use AI for social media and ad generation. "AI helps us play against the big cats," he said. "I see the biggest upswing in the local races. Someone who is 65 years old, a farmer and county commissioner, he could easily be primaried by a younger cat using the technology." Political consultancies are also seeking to harness AI, further muddying the line between real and unreal. Numinar Analytics, a political data company that focuses on Republican clients, has begun experimenting with AI content generation for audio and images, as well as voice-generation to potentially create personalized messaging in a candidate's voice, founder Will Long said in an interview. Democratic polling and strategy group Honan Strategy Group is meanwhile trying to develop an AI survey bot. It hopes to unroll a female bot in time for the 2023 municipal elections, CEO Bradley Honan said, citing research that both men and women are more likely to speak to a female interviewer. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

2024 US Presidential election: Deepfake videos flood social media before poll

Author

Zee News Rajasthan

Editor

Harshit Sabarwal

Home

Live Tv

Latest

World

India

Business

Entertainment

Sports

Opinions

Videos

Photos

Gravitas

Lifestyle

Science

Tech

Rajasthan News in Hindi: In-depth coverage of Rajasthan Crime, Political News, Education, Rajasthan Weather Update and Latest Rajasthan News on Zee News Rajasthan.