In other AI-related news, Mugur Isarescu, the governor of the National Bank of Romania, was targeted in a deepfake scam promoting fraudulent investments. The scam used digitally altered video and audio to depict Isarescu giving fraudulent financial advice. Meanwhile, Waymo, a self-driving car company, is under investigation after one of its vehicles collided with a cyclist. The incident occurred when the vehicle's view was blocked by a truck, and it failed to brake in time to avoid the cyclist.
Key takeaways:
- A dodgy website called OnlyFake claimed to use AI to create realistic images of fake IDs, potentially tricking online verification methods. The site is now down, but the fake ID created by 404 Media managed to bypass the online verification methods for the cryptocurrency platform, OKX.
- Three computer science students won $700,000 in the Vesuvius Challenge 2023 for building AI software to read ancient scrolls preserved from a volcanic eruption. The next goal is to read 90 percent of the scrolls in the Herculaneum papyri collection.
- Mugur Isarescu, the governor of the National Bank of Romania, was targeted in a deepfake scam promoting fraudulent investments. The rise in financial scams in Romania is fueled by recent events like its largest initial public offering and better returns offered by the Bucharest Stock Exchange.
- The San Francisco Police Department and California Department of Motor Vehicles are investigating an incident where a driverless Waymo vehicle collided with a cyclist. This comes amid ongoing investigations into self-driving technology, including a case where a driverless Cruise car ran over a woman.