Facebook’s latest acquisition is all about fighting fake news
The social network’s reported purchase of Bloomsbury AI will bring in a very specific kind of talent and expertise.
Some background: Automating online content moderation using AI remains a significant challenge. As we’ve said before, algorithms struggle to understand context and pick up on things like hate speech. Although Facebook is getting better at detecting it, the platform still has a long way to go.
The news: TechCrunch says that Facebook is coughing up between $23 million and $30 million primarily to acquire the UK-based startup’s employees. The company’s head of research, Sebastian Riedel, is among the leading lights in the field of natural-language processing and has experience fighting fake news. Facebook will apparently be applying the Bloomsbury team’s skills to combat inappropriate and false content on the platform.
Why it matters: Facebook’s willingness to spend tens of millions to get the staff that comes along with a company shows how tight the labor market in artificial intelligence has gotten. The Alphabet-owned firm DeepMind has also turned to UK startups as a source of AI specialists.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.
Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.
How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets
When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.
Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch
Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.