United News of Bangladesh

French authorities are launching action against Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok after it produced French-language posts that cast doubt on the use of gas chambers at Auschwitz, officials announced. Grok — developed by Musk’s company xAI and embedded within his social media platform X — claimed in a widely circulated response that the gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp were intended for “disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus,” not for mass killing. This is a well-known trope used by Holocaust deniers. The Auschwitz Memorial called attention to the exchange on X, stating that Grok’s reply distorted historical truth and violated the platform’s own policies. In later posts, Grok corrected itself, acknowledging that its earlier answer was false, stating that it had been removed, and citing the historical record that over 1 million people were murdered in Auschwitz’s Zyklon B gas chambers. X did not add any explanation or context to these updates. Tests conducted Friday by The Associated Press showed the chatbot providing historically accurate information about Auschwitz when asked. Grok has previously been linked to antisemitic output. Earlier this year, xAI removed chatbot posts that appeared to praise Adolf Hitler after receiving complaints. The Paris prosecutor’s office told The Associated Press on Friday that these Holocaust-denial remarks have been added to an ongoing cybercrime investigation into X. The inquiry was launched earlier this year after French authorities warned that the platform’s algorithms could facilitate foreign interference. Prosecutors said Grok’s statements are now part of the case and that “the functioning of the AI will be analyzed.” France has some of Europe’s strictest laws against Holocaust denial. Disputing the existence or genocidal intent of Nazi crimes is criminalized, along with other forms of racially motivated incitement. Several French ministers — including Industry Minister Roland Lescure — have reported Grok’s posts to prosecutors under a legal requirement obliging public officials to flag potential offenses. In a government statement, they called the AI-generated claims “manifestly illegal,” saying they could constitute racially motivated defamation and denial of crimes against humanity. Authorities have also referred the posts to France’s national police portal for illicit online content and notified the country’s digital regulator about possible violations of the EU’s Digital Services Act. The incident adds to mounting pressure from the European Union. This week, the European Commission said it had reached out to X regarding Grok, describing some of the chatbot’s answers as “appalling” and incompatible with core European values and human rights. Two French human rights groups — the Ligue des droits de l’Homme and SOS Racisme — have filed a criminal complaint accusing Grok and X of denying crimes against humanity. Neither X nor its AI arm, xAI, has issued a response to requests for comment.

OpenAI and Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn have announced a new partnership to jointly design and manufacture key hardware for artificial intelligence data centers in the United States, marking a significant step toward strengthening America’s AI infrastructure. Under the agreement, Foxconn — the world’s largest contract electronics maker and a supplier for Nvidia and Apple — will co-design AI data center racks with OpenAI. The products to be manufactured at Foxconn’s U.S. facilities will include cabling, networking components and power systems, the companies said in separate statements Thursday and Friday. OpenAI will have early access to evaluate and potentially purchase the equipment.Both sides said the initial partnership does not include financial commitments or binding purchase agreements. Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., operates factories in Wisconsin, Ohio and Texas. The company has been expanding beyond consumer electronics, investing in electric vehicles and acquiring additional electronics firms. A Model A electric vehicle produced by its affiliate Foxtron was showcased at Friday’s event, with executives emphasizing affordability. Alexis Bjorlin, a vice president at Nvidia, said the collaboration could also help Taiwan build up its own computing infrastructure while keeping sensitive technology and data secure. “This partnership is a step toward ensuring the core technologies of the AI era are built here,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, adding that the initiative would reinforce U.S. leadership in the global AI race. OpenAI has pledged $1.4 trillion to build out AI infrastructure and recently formed multi-billion-dollar alliances with Nvidia and AMD to bolster computing capacity. It is also working with U.S. chipmaker Broadcom to design and produce custom AI chips. Meta wins landmark FTC antitrust case, won’t be forced to split off Instagram or WhatsApp Despite rapid revenue growth — Altman says the company expects more than $20 billion in annualized revenue this year — investors have raised concerns over whether OpenAI can sustain its massive spending plans. Foxconn’s shares have climbed 25% this year amid the global AI boom. Its July–September net profit rose 17% to NT$57.6 billion ($1.8 billion), driven largely by its cloud and networking business, including AI servers. “We believe the importance of the AI industry is increasing significantly,” Chairman Young Liu said, expressing optimism that partnerships with major clients will deepen next year. Source: AP

The explosion of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools has reshaped classrooms worldwide, changing how students approach learning and assignments. With chatbots now helping millions of students every day, the line has grown blurry over what tasks AI should assist with — and when its use crosses into academic misconduct. The technology’s growing role in everyday life only adds to the uncertainty. Here are some key guidelines on using AI responsibly for schoolwork: Don’t copy and paste AI-generated answers AI tools can produce polished, detailed responses, making it tempting to submit their output as your own. But using AI this way undermines your learning and violates basic academic principles. Universities stress that AI can clarify ideas or help generate concepts, but original work must come from the student. The University of Chicago notes that students should rely on their own analysis and treat AI as a guide, not a replacement for thinking. Yale University warns that outsourcing writing to a chatbot — even for summaries or outlines — will leave students less prepared for exams and future coursework. Do use AI as a study partner Experts recommend using AI much like a tutor. Chatbots can explain difficult topics, suggest ideas, or help students review material. California high school teacher Casey Cuny encourages students to feed class notes, study guides and textbook references into ChatGPT, then ask the chatbot to quiz them one question at a time — and create a teaching plan based on any wrong answers. His classroom “traffic light” system labels brainstorming and feedback as green-lighted uses, while asking AI to draft or revise essays remains prohibited. AI can also be helpful for voice-to-text “brain dumps,” said Sohan Choudhury of Flint, allowing students to talk through what they do and don’t understand before receiving tailored explanations. Do check your school’s AI rules Policies vary widely. Some U.S. states have issued guidance for schools, but adoption differs. Institutions like the University of Toronto ban generative AI unless instructors explicitly allow it. Others, such as the State University of New York at Buffalo, leave decisions entirely to individual faculty members. Students are urged to review course-specific rules to avoid unintended violations. Don’t hide AI use from teachers Educators increasingly accept that AI is part of modern learning. Many now encourage open conversations so students don’t unintentionally violate policies. Rebekah Fitzsimmons of Carnegie Mellon University says students often struggle to distinguish between using AI to refine their own work and letting the tool generate content for them — another reason transparency matters. Some universities advise citing AI when it contributes to idea generation, summaries or drafting assistance, just as students would cite any other source. And always consider ethics Institutions expect students to use AI in ways that uphold academic integrity. The University of Florida urges students to review honor codes, while Oxford University stresses responsible, transparent and critical use of AI tools. With inputs from AP

Asian stock markets surged Thursday following Nvidia’s stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, easing concerns that AI-driven stock valuations had climbed too high. U.S. futures and oil prices also rose. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped as much as 4.2% before easing to 2.6%, closing at 49,801.81, boosted by tech stocks after Nvidia reported $57 billion in quarterly revenue. South Korea’s Kospi gained 3% to 4,047.57, led by technology and energy shares. Samsung Electronics rose 6.1%, while SK Hynix added 3.5%. Chinese markets saw smaller gains, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng up 0.1% to 25,867.87 and the Shanghai Composite rising 0.4% to 3,961.71. Taiwan’s Taiex climbed 3.2%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 1.2% to 8,546.10, led by tech stocks. Wall Street had mixed results Wednesday. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%, ending a four-day losing streak, while the Dow Jones gained 47 points (0.1%) and the Nasdaq added 0.6%. Constellation Energy jumped 5.3% after the U.S. Department of Energy approved a $1 billion loan to restart its Three Mile Island nuclear plant. Lowe’s rose 4% on stronger-than-expected summer profits, offsetting a 2.8% drop for Target. Nvidia, Wall Street’s largest stock, climbed 2.8% before the earnings release and surged 5.1% in after-hours trading. Analysts note that Nvidia’s results significantly influence the S&P 500 and reflect broader AI-driven market sentiment. Investors also await the U.S. government’s September jobs report, which could affect Federal Reserve interest rate decisions. While the Fed has cut rates twice this year, some officials suggest a pause due to persistent inflation above the 2% target. In commodities, U.S. crude rose 16 cents to $59.41 per barrel and Brent crude edged up 16 cents to $63.67. The dollar strengthened to 157.32 Japanese yen, while the euro fell to $1.1520.

Meta has emerged victorious in a major antitrust battle that threatened the future of its business and could have compelled the company to divest Instagram and WhatsApp. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Meta does not currently hold a monopoly in social networking. The decision from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg follows a historic trial that concluded in late May. His ruling stands in sharp contrast to recent court decisions against Google, which was found to have monopolized both search and digital advertising — significant blows to an industry long accustomed to rapid, unrestricted expansion. Boasberg wrote that the Federal Trade Commission “continues to insist that Meta competes with the same old rivals it has for the last decade,” and that it failed to prove Meta still possesses monopoly power. “Whether or not Meta enjoyed monopoly power in the past,” he wrote, “the agency must show that it continues to hold such power now. The FTC has not done so.” The FTC argued that Meta maintained dominance by following CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s 2008 philosophy that “it is better to buy than compete,” allegedly using acquisitions to neutralize rising threats. During testimony in April, Zuckerberg rejected claims that Facebook bought Instagram to crush competition, downplaying the significance of old internal emails raised by FTC lawyers. Boasberg emphasized that the core issue was not the decade-old acquisitions — which the FTC approved — but whether Meta is a monopoly today. Prosecutors would need to show a “current or imminent legal violation” to prevail, he wrote. The FTC also accused Facebook of imposing policies that hindered smaller competitors as the industry transitioned from desktop to mobile platforms. Meta welcomed the ruling, saying it reflects the “fierce competition” the company faces. Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Newstead said the company’s products “exemplify American innovation” and that Meta hopes to continue collaborating with the Biden administration. EU finds Meta and TikTok in breach of transparency rules Boasberg noted that the social media ecosystem has evolved dramatically since the FTC filed the case in 2020. Previous dismissals of the lawsuit didn’t even mention TikTok, which he now described as Meta’s most formidable rival. Citing the philosopher Heraclitus, he wrote that the online world changes too rapidly to be neatly divided into fixed categories like “social networking” and “social media.” Industry analysts called the ruling expected, noting Meta’s aggressive efforts to counter TikTok. However, they warned the company still faces major regulatory challenges — including upcoming lawsuits over social media’s impact on children’s mental health. Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion and WhatsApp in 2014 for $22 billion were pivotal in shifting its operations from desktop to mobile and maintaining relevance among younger users. But the FTC’s definition of Meta’s competitive landscape excludes TikTok, YouTube, and Apple’s messaging service as rivals. Investors reacted calmly to the ruling. Meta shares slipped $1.52 to $600.49 on Tuesday afternoon, mirroring broader market trends. Source: AP 

The government will block all cloned, illegally imported and smuggled mobile phones, Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, special assistant to the Chief Adviser in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, said on Wednesday. There will be “no exceptions” in removing such phones from the market, he said in a press release. He also said that illegal phones are linked to many crimes, including wrong SIM registration and eKYC fraud, bulk SMS scams, mobile financial fraud, online gambling, scamming, patent and royalty violations, tax and customs evasion, and cross-border smuggling from China and India. These activities also harm the local handset industry, he added. The official also informed that various agencies - law enforcement bodies, BIDA, mobile banking operators, the banking sector, BFIU, and NBR - have urged the ministry to take strict action to protect public safety, the economy and national security. Taiyeb said that some groups had imported “millions of phones” without paying taxes and dumped them in the country over the last year. “We are not harming any legal mobile trader. They should sell locally made phones or legally imported phones,” he added. He further added that many cloned devices are being produced using the same IMEI number and after the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) is activated, this will no longer be possible. He claimed that “mafias” are trying to stop NEIR to protect illegal business networks involving luggage parties, fake HS codes, and border smuggling. Taiyeb said that BTRC has already requested NBR to reduce import duties and a meeting with the NBR chairman will be held soon. BTRC has also asked local manufacturers to reduce prices so customers can buy legal phones at lower cost. He added that BTRC is working to make the registration of legally brought foreign phones easier and phones that are active before December 16 will be registered as valid. He added that countries like India do not allow large-scale entry of unregistered foreign phones and BTRC is not obliged to lower high-end phone prices by allowing illegal imports. Taiyeb also advised users to register SIMs in their own names to avoid problems. Expatriates can bring one or two phones legally and register them without hassle, but Importing more than two requires NBR rules to be followed, he said.. He also added that the ministry is reviewing public suggestions on how to make registration, deregistration and re-registration easier for citizens.

President Donald Trump has approved the sale of the U.S.’s most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns that sensitive American technology could be accessed by China. The sale was reaffirmed during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington. Some in the administration have also expressed worry that supplying the F-35 to Saudi Arabia could affect Israel’s qualitative military edge, particularly as Trump seeks Israeli backing for his Gaza peace plan. Israel, which deployed the jet during a June conflict with Iran, is among 19 nations that either have the plane or are set to acquire it. Background and capabilitiesThe F-35 Lightning II first rolled off the assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas, nearly 20 years ago. It was designed to serve multiple branches of the U.S. military: the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, each requiring different capabilities such as carrier launches and vertical takeoffs. Over 1,200 jets have been produced, supporting roughly 300,000 jobs across 49 states and Puerto Rico. The jet is a fifth-generation fighter, equipped with stealth technology, advanced radar, sensors, and networking capabilities to detect enemies and communicate with allied forces. It allows pilots to switch between bombing and air combat missions in a single sortie. Trump plans to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia ahead of Crown Prince’s visit Costs and controversiesThe program is the Pentagon’s most expensive, with jets costing up to $77 million each in 2023. Maintaining and modernizing the planned fleet of 2,470 aircraft over 77 years is projected to exceed $2 trillion. Production delays, maintenance challenges, and low mission-readiness rates—about 55% in 2023—have fueled criticism. Experts argue that while the F-35 can perform many roles, it is costly and sometimes less reliable than older planes. Lockheed Martin defended the program, stating that the F-35 is “combat proven,” essential to allied defense, and a critical contributor to global security, with over 1 million flight hours logged and more than 1,255 aircraft in service. Strategic significanceThe jet’s stealth and sensor technologies make it highly coveted internationally, with Saudi Arabia among nations seeking advanced airpower. While there are lingering concerns about cybersecurity and technology leakage to China, analysts note that continual upgrades and allied use mitigate some of these risks. Source: AP

A technical malfunction at Cloudflare on Tuesday evening caused parts of the Internet to go down, leaving many users unable to access popular platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), which showed error messages instead of loading normally. Cloudflare, a key internet infrastructure provider that helps keep websites secure and functional during heavy traffic or cyberattacks, confirmed it was probing the issue. “Cloudflare is aware of, and investigating an issue which potentially impacts multiple customers: widespread 500 errors, Cloudflare Dashboard and API also failing,” the company said in an update. “We are continuing to investigate this issue.” Users affected by the outage reported seeing notices of an “internal server error on Cloudflare’s network,” with prompts asking them to “please try again in a few minutes.”

Athletes at China’s 15th National Games encountered an unexpected twist during medal ceremonies: humanoid robots stepping in to help present awards. In Shenzhen—one of China’s major tech hubs—robots carried medals and sashes onto the podium, drawing loud cheers and photo-taking from the crowd. “I was stunned. I didn’t expect it at all,” said Beijing’s Meng Fanlong, who won silver in the men’s 92kg boxing event. “Maybe robots will eventually do more than we can. I’m not sure I’ll be able to outdo them.” As the first edition of the Games jointly hosted by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the event has integrated robotics across numerous sports and logistical operations. On the athletics field, robotic dogs transport javelins, reducing manual labor and improving safety. In other venues, automated machines conduct patrols, check power systems, and even serve as torchbearers. Organizers say more than 130 advanced technologies—including AI, robotics, and next-generation information systems—are being used throughout the Games. Pan Helin, an expert with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, noted that the event provides an important real-world testing ground for robotics and autonomous vehicles, helping accelerate their practical adoption. “This allows us to thoroughly test our systems and strengthen our team’s capabilities and coordination,” said Zhou Jiahao, chairman of a Shenzhen-based AI company. High-Tech Support for Boundary-Spanning Events In a landmark effort, the men’s road cycling race covered all three regions of the Greater Bay Area, supported by extensive technological safeguards, including those across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Unmanned patrol boats equipped with radar, HD cameras, and life-saving tools monitored the waters of Lingdingyang, conducting both stationary and roaming patrols. “Traditional water patrols often faced weather challenges and difficult conditions,” said Li Xinyi of the Zhuhai water police. “Unmanned boats changed everything—operations are more efficient, and officers are much safer, which helps keep the race course secure.” The cycling competition also required constant weather monitoring, as the bridge is prone to high winds. A mobile meteorological vehicle acted as a traveling weather station, gathering real-time wind and climate data to warn officials and protect riders. Technology Enhancing the Experience for Everyone Innovations at the Games extend beyond athletes and officials. Hearing-impaired spectators can instantly connect with remote sign-language interpreters through a one-click digital service. “It works just like Uber linking riders and drivers,” explained Shi Chengchuan, CEO of a Guangzhou tech firm. “Our platform connects interpreters with users, making the Games more inclusive.” Experts say these technological applications will have long-term benefits for the industry. “Our company has supported major events like the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and each large event gives the industry another push forward,” said Li Ji, head of a Shenzhen sports technology company, which supplied LED display solutions for over 20 venues. “As AI evolves, we’re seeing more imaginative display technologies and tighter integration between sports lighting and digital content,” he added, noting that this has helped chart the company’s future direction. Pan emphasized that the National Games’ tech demonstrations will provide valuable insights for manufacturers, supporting digital transformation and driving industrial growth across the Greater Bay Area.

The 27th China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF), one of China’s largest technology exhibitions, concluded Sunday in Shenzhen, generating 1,023 supply-demand matching and investment projects with an intended deal value exceeding 170 billion yuan (around 24 billion U.S. dollars). Themed “Technology Leads Development, Industry Integrates Fusion,” the three-day event attracted more than 5,000 companies and organizations from over 100 countries and regions, and welcomed upwards of 450,000 visitors. Chinese astronauts return safely after debris-damaged capsule forces unexpected delay The fair showcased over 5,000 new products, technologies, and innovative solutions across 22 major exhibition areas. Highlights included key equipment, artificial intelligence and robotics, national-level machinery, consumer electronics, low-altitude economy, and commercial aerospace, reflecting global scientific advancements alongside China’s innovation achievements. First launched in 1999, the annual CHTF has grown into China’s largest and most influential science and technology fair, serving as a major platform for international collaboration, investment opportunities, and showcasing cutting-edge technology developments. Source: XINHUA