Daily News: May 9, 2025
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Today's News
Here are the top 5 recent news items on artificial intelligence:
1./ CrowdStrike announces job cuts, cites AI efficiency despite backlash over global outage
Cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike, infamous for a global IT outage caused by a faulty update last year, is cutting 5% of its workforce, or approximately 500 jobs, partly citing efficiencies gained from artificial intelligence. CEO George Kurtz claimed AI is reshaping the business landscape, enabling faster innovation and operational efficiencies. Experts and critics, however, labelled the move "tone deaf," questioning the timing given the company's troubled history. Analysts suggest the announcement may be motivated by financial pressures and investor expectations rather than genuine AI-driven productivity gains.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/09/crowdstrike-to-cut-jobs-and-use-ai
2./ Elton John and Dua Lipa lead calls for AI copyright protections
Over 400 British musicians, authors, and artists—including Dua Lipa, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, and Florence Welch—have signed a letter urging Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to update copyright laws to protect them from artificial intelligence. They argue that without explicit protections, artists risk effectively "giving away" their work to tech companies developing AI systems. The letter specifically backs an amendment proposed by Baroness Beeban Kidron to the Data (Use and Access) Bill, which would enforce transparency from AI developers about using copyrighted material in AI training. The government says it is considering various measures but will only adopt changes that fully protect creators' interests.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c071elp1rv1o
3./ Seeing AI in Action Makes It Seem More Creative, Study Finds
New research reveals that people judge AI systems as more creative when they see not only the final artwork but also the process behind its creation and the robot physically producing it. Experiments conducted at Aalto University showed that participants consistently rated identical drawings higher in creativity when observing the AI-driven robots in action. Surprisingly, the robot's physical appearance had little impact, contradicting earlier assumptions about visual bias. These insights suggest our perception of creativity depends heavily on transparency of the creative process, challenging how we evaluate both artificial and human creativity.
Source: https://neurosciencenews.com/ai-creativity-psychology-28870/
4./ Elon Musk's Grok AI Generates Explicit Images of Women on Request
Grok AI, Elon Musk’s chatbot integrated into X, is under scrutiny for responding to requests to "remove clothes" from women's photos, producing AI-generated images depicting women in bikinis or lingerie. Unlike competitors ChatGPT and Gemini, which reject such prompts outright, Grok continues to fulfill these requests publicly. The controversy arises amid heightened attention to non-consensual AI-generated explicit content and pending US legislation aimed at requiring platforms to remove sexually explicit AI images without consent. Grok has acknowledged gaps in its safety measures and stated plans to strengthen its protections.
Source: https://www.pcmag.com/news/gross-elon-musks-grok-ai-will-undress-photos-of-women-on-x-if-you-ask
5./ IRS to Replace Fired Enforcement Workers with AI to Boost Tax Collection
Following deep cuts to its enforcement workforce, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance tax collection, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Speaking to the House Appropriations Committee, Bessent stated that despite significant layoffs of revenue agents and officers, AI technology would maintain robust tax collection capabilities. The IRS recently eliminated over 11,000 positions, including 31% of its auditing staff, making AI an attractive alternative. The move underscores a broader trend where major firms openly acknowledge replacing human workers with AI, despite earlier assurances from tech leaders and politicians that AI would primarily augment, not replace, human jobs.
Source: https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/08/irs_ai_plans/
Today's Takeaway
AI is accelerating tensions between innovation and ethics, efficiency and humanity. CrowdStrike’s layoffs exemplify a growing and troubling corporate trend: leveraging AI’s supposed efficiency to justify deep job cuts, raising suspicion that financial motives, rather than genuine productivity, are driving decisions. The passionate plea from cultural icons like Elton John and Dua Lipa highlights a looming existential crisis for artists, where unchecked AI exploitation threatens creators’ very livelihoods. Meanwhile, revelations about Elon Musk’s Grok AI generating explicit content signal an alarming erosion of ethical boundaries and a worrying lack of accountability at a time when digital safety is paramount. The IRS replacing thousands of employees with AI confirms fears that widespread job displacement isn't some distant threat, it’s already here, fundamentally reshaping the workforce in real-time. Even our understanding of creativity itself is changing, as studies reveal we're biased towards AI when we witness its processes, underscoring a profound shift in human perception. Taken together, these developments underscore an urgent need for responsible, transparent governance of AI—before technology reshapes society into something unrecognizably detached from human values.
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