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An Israeli firm called BlackCore is now suspected of interfering in elections across multiple democracies, including votes in New York City, Scotland, and France. Reuters reports the company allegedly ran influence operations targeting democratic processes, raising urgent questions about the global market for political manipulation-for-hire and how vulnerable modern elections remain to coordinated disinformation campaigns.
On the legal front, a German court has ruled that Google bears direct liability for false statements generated by its AI Overviews feature. The decision is significant: it establishes that if a company designs, trains, and operates an AI system, it cannot distance itself from the harm that system causes. That principle, if it spreads across European jurisdictions, could reshape how every major AI product is built and governed.
And a story that sits at the intersection of technology, power, and workplace culture — Helen Toner, a former OpenAI board member who was part of the group that briefly ousted Sam Altman in two thousand twenty three, says Elon Musk offered her sperm donations. Toner shared the account publicly, adding another uncomfortable chapter to the ongoing story of how Silicon Valley's most powerful figures conduct themselves.
Those are the stories that matter today. Keep surfing. Tech Beat out.
