A French woman was scammed out of $850,000 using AI-generated images of Brad Pitt.

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Just a quick heads-up: Brad Pitt reminds his fans that he is not on Social media, and there’s a good reason why in today’s spotlight story

What’s inside today’s newsletter:

• 🌐 Tech Pulse: Anthropic plans to release a ‘two-way’ voice mode for Claude

• 📁 Unfold AI Tricks: Boost Your Productivity with Descript’s Audio-Video Transcription

• 5 New Tools on the Block

• 🔎 Spotlight: A French woman was scammed out of $850,000 using AI-generated images of Brad Pitt.

• 🤝 Who is getting funded?

• ✅ To-dos

🌐 Tech Pulse

• UK plans ‘digital wallet’ for driver’s licenses and other ID, plus a chatbot powered by OpenAI

  • The U.K. government is launching a variety of AI initiatives, including a chatbot for its GOV.UK portal and AI tools for government employees. The chatbot, called "chat-uk," is being developed in collaboration with OpenAI and will be part of a wider portal and app set to launch in 2025. The government is also developing a multi-functional AI assistant called "Humphrey" and plans to create more consumer-facing AI tools.

  • In addition to AI investments, the U.K. government is also introducing a secure digital wallet to manage government-issued credentials, starting with a virtual driver's license and a virtual veteran card. The government aims to launch this service later in 2023. The digital driver's license could be used for age verification for online services.

• Anthropic plans to release a ‘two-way’ voice mode for Claude

  • Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, announced plans to enhance Claude with voice capabilities and improved memory function.

  • Anthropic faces financial challenges in the AI sector, despite significant fundraising efforts.

📁 Unfold AI Tricks: Boost Your Productivity with Descript’s Audio-Video Transcription

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5. DeepSeek R1: Advanced reasoning model

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🔎 Spotlight: A French woman was scammed out of $850,000 using AI-generated images of Brad Pitt.

Summary:

A 53-year-old French woman, Anne, was the victim of an elaborate online scam, losing €830,000 to individuals posing as Brad Pitt. The fraud, which involved sophisticated deepfakes and emotional manipulation, lasted a year and a half, ultimately leading to Anne's financial ruin and multiple suicide attempts. While a French television program initially highlighted her story, subsequent widespread online mockery prompted the broadcaster to remove the segment, sparking debate about victim-blaming versus awareness of increasingly sophisticated online fraud. The incident serves as a cautionary tale about the vulnerability of individuals to advanced technological deception and the potential for online harassment of victims.

Why it matters:

• Anne, a French interior designer, was scammed out of €830,000 (£700,000; $850,000) by individuals posing as actor Brad Pitt and others. Anne's ordeal began in February 2023 when someone claiming to be Pitt's mother contacted her on Instagram. After a divorce settlement, Anne lost €775,000 of her own money to the scammers.

• The scammers used sophisticated tactics to deceive Anne, including AI-generated photos and videos. Anne was sent fake images of Brad Pitt in a hospital bed and a fabricated news report featuring an AI anchor discussing Pitt's relationship with her.

• Anne's story has garnered mixed reactions, with some mocking her while others express empathy and concern about the increasing prevalence of AI-powered scams. Many social media users ridiculed Anne, but some defended her, arguing that anyone could fall victim to advanced AI technology.

Source: BBC, eonline, msn

🤝 Who is getting funded?

1. Qomodo raises $13.9M to expand BNPL for Italy’s main-street retailers (TechCrunch)

2. Karmen secures $9.4 million for its revenue-based financing products (TechCrunch)

3. MoneyHash, which provides single access to payment services in MENA, banks $5.2M (TechCrunch)

 😂 Tech Memes

✅ To-dos

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That’s a wrap! Catch you in tomorrow’s edition. 👋

—Harman