Meta Cuts 700 Labelers as Mercor Leaks 4TB of Voice Data and Insulin Patient Gets 27,000 AI Answers
1. 700 Meta labelers face Irish layoffs the same week 4TB of contractor voice samples leaked from Mercor Covalen warned more than 700 employees their jobs are at risk, according to documents obtained by Wired. The Dublin-based contractor staffs Meta's content review and AI labeling work.
2. He needs precise carb counts to dose insulin. AI gave him 27,000 different answers A diabetes blogger ran the same meal photograph through an AI model 27,000 times to see whether the carb count would ever repeat. It never did, according to his post on Diabettech.
3. AI Companies Sell Warmth to Users and Existential Risk to Investors OpenAI's Codex agent runs on a system prompt that leaked this week, and it reads like a character brief.
In Brief
- Google Cloud reports first $20B quarter, says capacity capped growth Google Cloud crossed $20B in quarterly revenue for the first time, driven by AI demand. Executives told analysts that data center and chip capacity were fully booked, meaning revenue could have been higher.
- Microsoft says paid Copilot tops 20 million users Microsoft disclosed over 20 million paying Copilot subscribers and said engagement frequency is rising. The figure pushes back on reports that enterprise pilots stall before turning into daily use.
- ChatGPT uninstalls jumped 413% year-over-year in March Sensor Tower data shows ChatGPT uninstalls rose 413% YoY in March and 132% YoY in April. Users are switching to rival chatbots, complicating OpenAI's IPO pitch on user growth.
- OpenAI publishes Stargate buildout update OpenAI posted details on new Stargate sites and partner commitments to add data center capacity. The company frames the expansion as required to meet training and inference demand from current models.
- China suspends new robotaxi permits after Baidu Wuhan jam Chinese regulators halted new autonomous vehicle licenses after dozens of Baidu robotaxis stalled in Wuhan traffic last month. Existing fleets can keep running but cannot add cars.
- Scout AI raises $100M for soldier-controlled vehicle fleets Scout AI closed $100M to train agents that let one soldier command groups of unmanned ground and air vehicles. TechCrunch reported from the company's bootcamp where it trains the models on field exercises.
- Firestorm Labs raises $82M for containerized drone factories Firestorm Labs raised $82M to put drone manufacturing inside shipping containers deployable close to the front line. The model targets US and allied militaries that want supply lines shortened.
- Parallel Web Systems hits $2B valuation five months after last round Parag Agrawal's agent-tooling startup Parallel Web Systems raised $100M led by Sequoia at a $2B valuation. The round comes five months after a prior $100M raise.
- Anthropic publishes Claude for Creative Work positioning Anthropic posted a Claude for Creative Work update aimed at writers, designers, and other creative professionals. The piece groups longform drafting, image, and brand-voice tasks under one model pitch.
- Google Photos adds virtual try-on for clothes already in user galleries Google Photos rolled out an AI feature that builds a virtual wardrobe from a user's existing pictures and renders mix-and-match outfits. Users can save looks and share them with friends inside the app.
- Copyleaks finds Taylor Swift and Rihanna deepfakes pushing TikTok scams Authentication firm Copyleaks documented AI-generated celebrity videos promoting fake rewards programs on TikTok. The clips manipulate real interview footage from red carpets and podcasts to add fabricated endorsements.
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