Microsoft engineer says company thwarted his attempts to expose AI safety issue

Seattle bans batteries from trash | Amazon delivery gets faster | AI risks for elections ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Nominations are open for the 2024 GeekWire Awards: [Submit nominations now for the 2024 GeekWire Awards, taking place May 9th at the Showbox Sodo in Seattle.]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Microsoft engineer turns AI whistleblower: In a letter Tuesday to Washington state's attorney general and Congressional representatives, obtained by GeekWire, a Microsoft AI engineering leader says he discovered a vulnerability in OpenAI's DALL-E 3 image generator in early December allowing users to bypass safety guardrails to create violent and explicit images. He says Microsoft previously thwarted his attempts to bring public attention to the issue. Recent deepfake images of Taylor Swift are "an example of the type of abuse I was concerned about and the reason why I urged OpenAI to remove DALL·E 3 from public use and reported my concerns to Microsoft," writes Shane Jones, a Microsoft principal software engineering lead. We’re awaiting responses from Microsoft and OpenAI. [Read the story and the letter](. Related: Speaking on a panel yesterday in Seattle, misinformation researchers from the University of Washington expressed concern about the democratization of rapidly advancing AI tools used to create deepfakes — with potential implications for elections. [Read more](. Batteries are now banned from household trash in Seattle because of fire danger, but residents have a variety of disposal options, including the city’s free drop-off locations or private companies with subscription pick-up services. [Read more.]( Amazon delivery speeds getting faster: The company reported a 65% increase in the number of items in the U.S. arriving same day or overnight in the fourth quarter of 2023 as it continues to tweak where and how products are stored, sorted and shipped across its fulfillment network. [Read more.]( Seattle-area venture capital firm Fuse led a $6 million round for a space-centric startup called Quindar which will use the funding to boost its cloud-hosted, AI-supported software platform for satellite management. [Read more](. Tech Moves: Seattle tech vet Dave Cotter launches advisory firm; Amazon sports leader Marie Donoghue lands at DraftKings; Oleria hires former Microsoft GM Kirt Debique; Tactile and Yesler add board members; [and more key personnel changes](. Hot Links: - Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was deeply involved in the design and development of the new $2 billion arena for his NBA team. 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[Submit nominations here!]( LATEST HEADLINES [Microsoft AI engineer says company thwarted attempt to expose DALL-E 3 safety problems]( [Amazon delivery gets faster, with 65% jump in number of same-day and overnight items in U.S.]( [The impact of AI and deepfakes on politics is worrying misinformation researchers]( [Fuse leads $6M round for Quindar, which uses AI for satellite support and is partnering with KSAT]( [Citing fire dangers, Seattle bans batteries from the trash — here’s where they should go instead]( [Tech Moves: Ex-Amazon sports leader lands at DraftKings; Seattle tech vet launches advisory firm]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [BRINC: Senior/Principal Full-Stack Software Engineer]( - [BRINC: Senior HR Generalist]( - [GeekWire: The Etzioni Internship in Climate Tech Journalism at GeekWire, Summer 2024]( - [Dexis Professional Services: PRISM Integration SME/Engineer (Advisor-Grade 8)]( - [BRINC: Head of Manufacturing & Supply Chain Operations]( - [City of Redlands: IT Security Analyst]( - [City of Newport: Systems Administrator I or II]( - [INRIX: Chief Revenue Office]( - [BRINC: Senior Computer Vision Engineer]( - [BRINC: Senior/Principal Backend & Platform Software Engineer]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? 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