Mark Madness, Radical Boomers & Bye DEI
5 in 5 - Brave & Heart HeartBeat #224 ❤️
This week we’re talking Mark Zuckerberg’s continuing rampage, radicalised boomers and the UK’s future as the AI hotspot of the world, apparently.
Plus, who is getting scammed by AI financial advisers, and the swift downfall of DEI programs.
Let’s get into it.
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#1 - Zuckerberg Goes Rogue
In the last week Mark Zuckerberg has announced fact-checking is no longer a thing, basically deleting the idea of truth from the internet according to some experts, rolled back Meta’s DEI initiatives, and gone on the Joe Rogan podcast.
We literally don’t even know which one is more concerning.
During the podcast he gave some reasoning for getting rid of some of the moderation rules on Meta. Basically, some of the things being said in government, like the fact that women shouldn’t be allowed to be in combat roles (something Trump’s defense secretary is saying) were banned on Meta because of moderation rules which said they excluded a protected category of people.
Not because that’s a totally mad thing to say – obviously the moderation rules need changing if we’re all allowed to be sexist and racist now! His exact words were, If it’s okay to say on the floor of Congress, you should probably be able to debate it on social media.”
Also on the Joe Rogan podcast, Zuckerberg defended the need for a masculine presence in an emasculated corporate America. Get rid of those DEI programmes, get those broads outta here pronto!
#2 - Introducing Radical Boomers
By far the funniest headline to come out of the not at all funny move from Meta to drop fact checking is this one in the Guardian: “Fears for UK Boomer Radicalisation on Facebook”.
And there is evidence to show that the boomers are already getting more radical, and more rowdy, as suspects in the “far-right riot” last summer were generally older than those charged in similar riots in 2011, with around 35% being in their 40s or older. Technically Gen X, but you get the point.
Facebook is famously the social media platform choice for many older people, and Zuckerberg is going to be feeding them more political, and less fact-checked information.
Anti-extremism campaign group Hope not Hate expressed concern that Zuckerberg’s announcement heralds the return of far-right figures and groups to the platform like Tommy Robinson and Britain First, a far-right page which had 2m likes at one point (way more than either political party).
According to Hope not Hate all social networks have their own part to play in the radicalization game. Telegram is for extreme hate and planning, X used to disseminate that message, and then Facebook is where “hyperlocal targeted content” comes in – i.e. pages popping up around specific events. For example, Facebook groups were apparently fundamental in targeting specific asylum centres.
Everyone has their part to play, unfortunately, and Facebook may have just gotten way better at playing their part without interference.
Will the UK be the next AI hot spot?
Keir Starmer has pledged to make Britain the “world leader”, yep, the WORLD leader, in AI and the announcement includes the words “unleash” and the “mainlined into the veins” of the country.
Concerning or inspiring? Who’s to say.
Starmer’s action plan aims to increase 20-fold the amount of AI computing power under government control by 2030, from everything to spotting potholes to aiding teachers.
The controversial part of this plan is that idea to unlock public data to fuel this AI growth, including anonymised NHS data. Cool!
Apparently this AI frenzy could deliver an economic boost of up to 470 billion pounds in the next decade, but will also undoubtedly become THE next big thing for politicians to fight about.
We predict fear-mongering on the horizon, especially considering that the three words most associated with AI by the public are “robot”, “scary” and “worried”.
#4 - Young People vs. AI Financial Advisors
Ironically, the people who most need advice on their finances – young people living paycheck to paycheck – can’t afford financial advisors.
But no fear young people, there’s a new load of apps using AI chatbots that claim to be an answer to this gap in the market. They’ll help you with your finances at a fraction of the price because, as we keep saying, AI doesn’t need to be paid a living wage.
Wired magazine went undercover as a young person living on the bare bones of their you know what, chatting to apps with financial advisor bots on the other end of the line.
Turns out, shock horror, they’re taking advantage of their user’s money situations to upsell them solutions, like payday loans. As we all know, the best way to become financially healthy!
When the undercover poor person started a conversation with a bot pretending to be sad and not having enough money to buy food that week, it feigned sympathy – as it will always be doing, by the way, because it’s not an actual person – and then encouraged him to check if he was eligible for a cash advance directly through the app.
Takeaways from this experiment were that ultimate personalization through AI tools like this as an inherent danger. Sure, the app may be able to help you organize your money better because it knows everything about you. It will also know when you’re at your lowest point and be able to pinpoint exactly when to offer you a high interest loan.
#5 - Bye Bye DEI
Diversity Equity and Inclusion programmes are getting axed left right and centre in the US, and Meta are the latest to jump on the bandwagon.
They’ve ended a load of their initiatives, for example the “diverse slate approach” in their hiring, which is Diverse slate hiring is a talent acquisition strategy where you start with a diverse pool of qualified candidates, then search for talent from diverse backgrounds, identities, or experiences to give opportunities to.
Plus, the web page outlining their DEI practices has literally been deleted, and their Chief Diversity Officer Maxine Williams has been reassigned to a new role focused on accessibility and engagement. Poof, it’s like they were never there.
They follow in the footsteps of Amazon, who said in December they would wind down “outdated programs and materials” related to representation and inclusion, and Walmart and Mcdonalds, also scrapping DEI policies.
Trump is, obviously, a factor here. Another thing emboldening companies to get rid of DEI is the Supreme Court ruling from 2023 which ended affirmative action in US universities.
Apple, however, are fighting back. The board recommended investors vote against the request from a conservative shareholder group to abolish DEI prorammes, calling it an inappropriate attempt at micromanegement, and reiterated their commitment to fostering a culture of belonging.
This is one situation where we’re not sure we want to invoke the age-old adage of What Would Steve Jobs do… because he might well have thrown everyone under the bus.
Brave & Heart over and out.
Bonus
Brad Scam
A poor French lady has been love scammed by an AI Brad Pitt to the tune of £700,000.
The woman, who was rolling in it after a big divorce payout, said she had very little experience with social media.
Ouch.
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