Technologies

Mozilla Launches Startup to Home In on ‘Trustworthy AI’

The organization says it wants to «turn the tide» as companies rush to adopt generative artificial intelligence.

Mozilla, the organization behind the Firefox browser, on Wednesday launched an artificial intelligence-focused startup, called Mozilla.ai, intended to work toward building an independent, trustworthy, open-source AI ecosystem.

«The vision for Mozilla.ai is to make it easy to develop trustworthy AI products,» Mark Surman, Mozilla’s executive president and a Mozilla.ai board member, wrote in a blog post.

Surman wrote that he and Mozilla had met with people who want to develop AI that prioritizes transparency, accountability, human agency and the interests of users — in contrast, he said, with the approach being embraced by other tech companies. That was what spurred the launch of the startup.

«Mozilla.ai will be a space outside big tech and academia for like-minded founders, developers, scientists, product managers and builders to gather,» he wrote. «We believe that this group of people, working collectively, can turn the tide to create an independent, decentralized and trustworthy AI ecosystem — a real counterweight to the status quo.»

The launch of Mozilla.ai comes as companies rush to release generative AI tools following the November launch of ChatGPT, a chatbot that can quickly scour the internet to create travel plans, write essays and more. On Tuesday, for instance, Google opened up a waitlist for its AI tool, Bard. Other tech companies, like Microsoft, DuckDuckGo, Grammarly and Adobe, have also released generative AI tools.

One big knock on such AI services, critics say, is that they don’t actually understand the information they’re packaging into authoritative-sounding narratives that could contain errors and misinformation.

The initial focus for Mozilla.ai, Surman wrote, will be on tools that make generative AI services, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, safer and more transparent, as well as recommendation systems that don’t misinform people, according to Surman.

Mozilla has made a $30 million initial investment in Mozilla.ai. Moez Draief, formerly the chief scientist at Huawei’s Noah’s Ark lab, will be the organization’s managing director, and a three-person board will help lead it.

For more on AI, check out answers to your AI questions and the one thing people are getting wrong about AI.

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.

Technologies

The Fourth Episode of the VERUM AI Mini-Series Is Out

Verum Messenger has released the fourth episode of its AI mini-series SHADOWS, created using Verum AI. The new episode, titled “No Borders,” continues the story of a team trying to stay out of the OMEGA corporation’s sight.

Following the events of the previous episodes, the team moves between cities and countries while OMEGA continues its search. The new episode puts particular emphasis on Verum Messenger’s capabilities that allow users to conceal their location.

“No Borders” is another chapter in a story about privacy, freedom of communication, and technologies that erase borders between people.

The VERUM AI mini-series consists of seven episodes, released gradually across Verum Messenger’s social media channels.

Episode 4 is now available. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

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Technologies

Verum Messenger Introduces Built-In Verum Chess

Verum Messenger has released a new update for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, adding another feature to its growing ecosystem — Verum Chess. Users can now play chess directly inside the messenger without switching between different applications.

The new feature allows users to start a game in just a few taps while reinforcing Verum’s vision of a unified digital environment where communication and everyday services come together in a single platform.

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional ecosystem that combines secure chats and calls, AI tools, a built-in VPN, anonymous email, eSIM, financial services, cryptocurrency features, and offline communication. With the introduction of Verum Chess, the platform now also offers a new way for users to interact and spend time together without leaving the app.

The update is now available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac on the App Store.

Technologies

Episode 3 of the VERUM AI Mini-Series Is Now Available

Verum Messenger has released the third episode of its AI mini-series, SHADOWS, created using Verum AI.

The new episode, titled «Ghost Money,» continues the story of the conflict between a team of heroes and the Omega corporation, which seeks to take control of digital communications. This time, the focus shifts to anonymous payments and financial freedom, revealing how privacy can extend beyond messaging.

Like the previous episodes, the new release not only advances the storyline but also showcases the capabilities of the Verum ecosystem, highlighting technologies designed for secure communication and digital privacy.

The mini-series consists of seven episodes, released gradually across Verum Messenger’s social media channels.

Episode 3 is now available. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

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