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Facebook hides 'likes' in Australia trial to ease anxiety

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5 years ago

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Facebook has begun hiding the number of “likes” for posts in Australia, it said Friday, a trial designed to ease social pressure that could be rolled out worldwide.
Account holders across the country will also be blocked from viewing the number of reactions and video views on other people’s posts from Friday, but will still be able to see how people respond to their own.
“We don’t want Facebook to feel like a competition,” the company said in a statement.
“This is a test to see how people engage with this new format.”
“We hope to learn from this over time in order to see if we will roll this out more broadly.”
More than one billion people use Facebook worldwide, but the social media giant has come under pressure to combat the platform’s impact on mental health.
In Australia, one in five children report experiencing cyberbullying, according to the country’s eSafety commissioner.
The problem received national attention last year when a 14-year-old girl — who starred in adverts for a well-known Australian hat brand — killed herself after being bullied online.
Facebook’s decision comes after it launched a trial in July to hide “likes” on the company’s other major social media platform, Instagram.
What began as a test on Instagram in Canada was expanded to Australia, Brazil and several other major markets.
The Facebook trial was described as “a limited test in order for us to get some early learnings.”
“While this has been testing on Instagram, Facebook and (Instagram) are different surfaces and we will likely see different data come from this test.”
The news was met with a mix of “skepticism and appreciation” from cyberpsychology researcher Jocelyn Brewer, who welcomed Facebook’s review of the impact of “vanity metrics” on people’s wellbeing.
But users will find other means to express a reaction, she added.
“As with many behaviours, I believe it is likely that people will adapt from liking to commenting and other actions that achieve online recognition and identity signalling,” Brewer told AFP.
The social media giant did not confirm how long the trial would run for.
“We want to understand from people whether removing the total counts improves their experience, while also not limiting any positive interactions,” said Mia Garlick, of Facebook Australia.
– AFP

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OpenAI to open second Asian office in Singapore

OpenAI will open its second Asian office in Singapore in 2024, following its first office in Tokyo established earlier this year. This fourth international branch aims to enhance regional collaboration and partner with local initiatives, including AI Singapore, focusing on generative AI models that reflect Southeast Asia’s diverse cultures and languages.

Published

1 week ago

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9 October 2024

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SINGAPORE:  OpenAI, the San Francisco-based leader in generative artificial intelligence (AI), has revealed plans to open its second Asian office in Singapore later in 2024.

This will mark the company’s fourth international branch, focusing on enhancing regional collaboration and partnering with local initiatives, such as the national AI programme, AI Singapore.

This expansion comes on the heels of OpenAI securing billions of dollars in funding and credit, leading to a valuation of $157 billion, bolstered by support from SoftBank Group Corp., a prominent AI investor.

Earlier this year, the US startup established its first Asian office in Tokyo, where it introduced a bespoke GPT-4 model specifically designed for Japanese-language customers.

CEO Sam Altman expressed excitement about the move, stating, “Singapore, with its rich history of technology leadership, has emerged as a leader in AI, recognising its potential to solve some of society’s hardest problems and advance economic prosperity. ”

“We’re excited to partner with the government and the country’s thriving AI ecosystem as we expand into the APAC region.”

Altman, who last visited Singapore in June 2023, highlighted the increasing demand for advanced AI tools across APAC, noting that Singaporeans rank among the highest-per-capita users of ChatGPT globally.

The number of weekly active users in Singapore has doubled since the start of 2024.

OpenAI plans to hire between five and ten employees before 2025 for roles related to sales, security, and solutions engineering, with a strong commitment to local talent.

The regional operations will be led by Oliver Jay, former chief revenue officer at Asana, who will serve as managing director of International based in Singapore.

The firm intends to collaborate more closely with Singaporean government partners, such as the Economic Development Board (EDB), to support AI development in the region.

OpenAI aims to invest up to US$1 million in resources to create AI models that accurately reflect the region’s diverse languages and cultures in partnership with AI Singapore.

AI Singapore is currently developing Sea-Lion, a network of large language models akin to ChatGPT, specifically trained for Southeast Asian users to ensure that the AI captures the region’s unique cultural nuances.

Since the public launch of ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI’s technology has rapidly integrated into various AI solutions for businesses and government entities in Singapore, including customer service chatbots and an internal AI assistant for civil servants known as Pair.

Competing AI models from Google Cloud and Meta are also being tested in several local projects.

This expansion comes amidst reports of OpenAI transitioning from a non-profit research lab to a more investor-friendly, for-profit model due to rising operational costs associated with running powerful AI systems globally.

While OpenAI maintains that its non-profit arm is central to its mission, this shift has raised industry concerns regarding the management of AI risks, including data collection practices and ethical considerations.

OpenAI is set to host its first Developer Day in Singapore on 21 November, targeting local developers and start-ups to foster innovation in the AI space.

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SingTel phone lines down for some customers, affecting public service hotlines

On 8 October noon, users reported widespread outages of Singtel services. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital announced on Facebook that their phone lines are down due to a technical fault, urging the public to email for appointments. Downdetector confirmed a surge in outage reports since 2 PM, with users also facing issues with landline calls.

Published

1 week ago

on

8 October 2024

By

SINGAPORE: On Tuesday (8 October), multiple users reported that SingTel services are down.

Notably, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital posted on Facebook at 3 PM that all of their phone lines are currently out of service due to a technical fault.

The hospital advised the public to email [email protected] for appointment matters.

A check on Downdetector revealed a surge in outage reports for SingTel starting around 2 PM.

According to the feedback on Downdetector, most of the problems faced by users pertain to landlines, which matches the responses from netizens on social media platforms.

Users also posted on SingTel’s official Facebook page and X (formerly Twitter), highlighting difficulties making calls through landlines, including issues with office lines.

In a Facebook post at 3:39 PM, SingTel acknowledged that some customers, including public service hotlines, are experiencing intermittent issues with fixed voice services.

The company assured users that its engineers are working urgently to resolve the matter.

“We apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience.”

While there are increased reports for other service providers such as StarHub and M1, they pale in comparison to what has been reported for Singtel.

Some users have suggested that these services may be reliant on Singtel’s network.

This is a developing story.

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