Here's a story about the history of the Like button that you might like

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The internet wouldn’t be the same without the Like button, the thumbs-up icon that Facebook and other online services turned into digital catnip. Like it or not, the button has served as a creative catalyst, a dopamine delivery system, a tribal totem pole and an emotional battering ram. It also became an international tourist attraction after Facebook plastered the symbol on a giant sign on that stood outside its Silicon Valley headquarters until the company rebranded itself as Meta Platforms in 2021. A new book delves into the convoluted story behind a symbol that’s become both the manna and bane of a digitally driven society.

Why was Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok preoccupied with South Africa's racial politics?

Much like its creator, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok was preoccupied with South African racial politics on social media this week, posting unsolicited claims about the persecution and “genocide” of white people. The chatbot, made by Musk’s company xAI, posted publicly about “white genocide” in response to users of Musk’s social media platform X who asked it a variety of questions, most having nothing to do with South Africa. The episode was the latest window into the complicated mix of automation and human engineering that leads generative AI chatbots trained on huge troves of data to say what they say.

Sailing from Oregon to Hawaii after quitting his job turns a man with a cat into social media star

HONOLULU (AP) — A 29-year-old former tire shop manager who quit his job and cashed in his retirement savings to buy a sailboat has become a social media sensation as he sails from Oregon to Hawaii with his cat, Phoenix. Oliver Widger says he decided to chase his sailing dream after being diagnosed with a neck issue that could ultimately paralyze him. His posts about stunning sunsets and  harrowing rudder failures as he crosses the Pacific Ocean have attracted more than 1 million followers on TikTok and Instagram. He tells The Associated Press that he is harnessing the power of social media to fund his round-the-world trip.

European Union accuses TikTok of breaching digital rules with lack of transparency on ads

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators are accusing TikTok of breaching digital safety rules because of because it’s not being transparent enough about ads shown to users of the video sharing app. TikTok’s ad repository isn’t up to the standards required by the bloc’s Digital Services Act, known as the DSA. That's according to preliminary findings from the 27-nation EU’s executive Commission. The Commission said ad databases are vital for researchers to detect scam ads as well as so-called hybrid threat campaigns, coordinated information operations and fake ads. The DSA is a wide-ranging rulebook that aims to clean up social media platforms and protect users from risks including election-related disinformation.  TikTok did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Who is Theo Von? The 'manosphere' podcaster with Trump in Qatar

Podcaster Theo Von performed a set for U.S. troops in Qatar where he joked about doing drugs on a mixed-race baby, the sexuality of men in the U.S. Navy, and compared the Qatari hosts’ attire to Klansman robes. His appearance Thursday preceded President Donald Trump’s visit to the Al-Udeid Air Base. The comedian’s remarks drew laughter and some groans from the service members in attendance and also some questions about why he was there. He's one of the top podcasters working today and often compared to Joe Rogan for his longform, freewheeling interviews.

DoorDash delivery driver pleads guilty to stealing $2.5 million in deliveries scam

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former food delivery driver has pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to steal more than $2.5 million from DoorDash by getting the company to pay for deliveries that never occurred. Federal prosecutors say that Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in San Jose to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They say the 30-year-old Newport Beach, California, resident admitted to working with three others in 2020 and 2021 to defraud the San Francisco-based delivery company. Devagiri faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Trump administration rescinds curbs on AI chip exports to foreign markets

NEW YORK (AP) — Responding to complaints from the tech industry and other countries, the U.S. Department of Commerce has rescinded a Biden-era rule due to take effect Thursday that placed limits on the number of artificial intelligence chips that could be exported to certain international markets without federal approval. The Biden rule’s division of more than 100 affected countries into different tiers of export restrictions drew strong opposition from those countries, as well as U.S. chipmakers like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices that argued the restrictions could actually push some countries to turn to China instead of the U.S. for their AI technology.

Microsoft lays off about 3% of its workforce in what one executive calls a 'day with a lot of tears'

Microsoft began laying off about 6,000 workers Tuesday, nearly 3% of its entire workforce and its largest job cuts in more than two years as the company spends heavily on artificial intelligence. Hard hit was the tech giant’s home state of Washington, where Microsoft informed state officials it was cutting 1,985 workers tied to its Redmond headquarters. Microsoft said the layoffs will be across all levels, teams and geographies but the cuts will focus on reducing the number of managers. Notices to employees began going out on Tuesday.

Nvidia to send 18,000 AI chips to Saudi Arabia

U.S. chip maker Nvidia will partner with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund-owned AI startup Humain and will ship 18,000 chips to the Middle Eastern nation to help power a new data center project. The partnership was revealed Tuesday as part of a White House trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been working to develop its artificial intelligence capacity and strengthen its cloud computing infrastructure with the help of foreign investment.

Major social media platforms fail to protect LGBTQ users, advocacy group GLAAD says

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Major social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and X have failed to protect LGBTQ+ users from hate and harassment, in part, because they intentionally rolled back previous safety practices, the advocacy group GLAAD said Tuesday in its annual Social Media Safety Index. The scorecard assigns numeric ratings to each platform with regard to LGBTQ safety. Elon Musk’s X received the lowest score at 30 out of 100, while TikTok came in highest at 56.