Tag Archives: Society & Culture

Hyper Light Drifter studio workers form union after rounds of layoffs

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Workers at Heart Machine, the independent studio behind Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, have formed a union with Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9003. The wall-to-wall unit covers all 13 frontline employees at the studio, which voluntarily recognized the union in February after a supermajority of eligible workers voted for the measure.

The organizing effort follows a rough stretch at Heart Machine, after the studio laid off employees in November 2024, then announced in October 2025 that it would end development on its early access title Hyper Light Breaker and cut further staff.

"I decided to get involved in organizing my studio because I've seen so many peers in the industry stand up to protect the craft we all care so deeply about. Watching that momentum grow made me realize that if we love this work, we have to protect it, especially now," said Steph Aligbe, a gameplay tools engineer at the studio.

Heart Machine joining the CWA extends the union's gaming footprint even further. The union counts thousands of employees at Microsoft subsidiaries among its members, as well as staff at EA, Id Software and others. CWA also runs the United Videogame Workers, a direct-join union that launched in 2025, allowing individual game workers in the US and Canada to sign up on their own without elections or employer consent. Large gaming studios like Ubisoft have been undergoing a seemingly endless string of layoffs, and workers are increasingly demanding to have their voices heard.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hyper-light-drifter-studio-workers-form-union-after-rounds-of-layoffs-165828565.html?src=rss

Canadian government demands safety changes from OpenAI

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Canadian officials summoned leaders from OpenAI to Ottawa this week to address safety concerns about ChatGPT. The crux of the government concerns was that OpenAI did not notify authorities when it banned the account of a user who allegedly committed a mass shooting in British Columbia earlier this month. 

"The message that we delivered, in no uncertain terms, was that we have ‌an expectation that there are going to ⁠be changes implemented, and if they're not forthcoming very quickly, the government is going to be making changes," Justice Minister Sean Fraser said of the company and its AI chatbot. It's unclear what those government-led changes or rules might be. There have been two previous, unsuccessful attempts to pass an online harms act in Canada.

A recent report by The Wall Street Journal claimed that in 2025, some OpenAI employees flagged the account of the alleged shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, as containing potential warnings of committing real-world violence and called for leadership to notify law enforcement. Although Van Rootselaar's account was banned for policy violations, a company rep said that the account activity did not meet OpenAI's criteria for engaging the local police. 

“Those reports were deeply disturbing, reports saying that OpenAI did not contact law enforcement in a timely manner," said Canadian Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon ahead of the discussion with company leaders. "We will have a sit-down meeting to have an explanation of their safety protocols and when they escalate and their thresholds of escalation to police, so we have a better understanding of what’s happening and what they do."

OpenAI has been implicated in mulitple wrongful death suits. The company's ChatGPT was accused of encouraging "paranoid beliefs" before a man killed his mother and himself in a December 2025 lawsuit. It is also at the center of one of several wrongful death lawsuits against the makers of AI chatbots for helping teenagers plan and commit suicides.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/canadian-government-demands-safety-changes-from-openai-204924604.html?src=rss

The US will send Tech Corps members to foreign countries in its latest push for AI dominance

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The government agency that sends its corps members abroad to volunteer in foreign countries launched its latest initiative called Tech Corps. The Peace Corps' latest proposal will recruit STEM graduates or those with professional experience in the artificial intelligence sector and send them to participating host countries.

According to the press release, volunteers will be placed in Peace Corps countries that are part of the American AI Exports Program, which was created last year from an executive order from President Trump as a way to bolster the US' grip on the AI market abroad. Tech Corps members will be tasked with using AI to resolve issues related to agriculture, education, health and economic development. The program will offer its members 12- to 27-month in-person assignments or virtual placements, which will include housing, healthcare, a living stipend and a volunteer service award if the corps member is placed overseas.

Richard E. Swarttz, the acting director of the Peace Corps, said in a press release that Tech Corps volunteers will be "building technical capacity, supporting AI adoption across critical use cases and addressing barriers to last-mile AI implementation." While the Tech Corps program is framed at benefiting host countries, it would also help to secure the US' position in the rapidly expanding global AI market that includes growing competition from China.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-us-will-send-tech-corps-members-to-foreign-countries-in-its-latest-push-for-ai-dominance-191916940.html?src=rss

Sam Bankman-Fried wants a re-trial for fraud charges

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Former cryptocurrency poster boy Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to get another chance in court. He has filed a request that for a new trial on claims that new witness testimony could alter the case made against him by prosecutors, according to Bloomberg. His odds for getting the re-trial, where he'd be representing himself, seem pretty slim. This is a separate motion from a formal appeal of his previous conviction.

Bankman-Fried is one of many cryptocurrency leaders who have since been prosecuted for fraud. After being jailed for witness tampering, he was found guilty of seven charges of fraud and conspiracy in 2023. Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his actions as CEO and co-founder of crypto exchange FTX.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/sam-bankman-fried-wants-a-re-trial-for-fraud-charges-185910093.html?src=rss

X’s Paris HQ raided by French prosecutors

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Paris prosecutors announced that a search was underway at offices belong to Elon Musk’s X platform as part of an ongoing investigation first launched in January 2025. The raid is being conducted by Paris and national cybercrime units, with support from Interpol, according to post from Paris prosecutors on X. Officials from X have yet to comment on the matter.

At the same time, Paris prosecutors issued summonses to Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino for “voluntary interviews” on April 20, 2026 in Paris. The prosecutors also announced they would no longer use X and would only communicate on LinkedIn and Instagram going forward.

The searches are part of an investigation that has been ongoing for nearly a year over the functioning of X’s algorithms that are “likely to have distorted the operation of an automated data processing system,” investigators said at the time. Those changes reportedly gave greater prominence to certain political content (especially from Musk) without user knowledge — something that could be a crime under French laws.

An investigation was officially launched in July, with Paris prosecutors adding an additional charge: “Fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system by an organized group.” More recently, it also includes “complicity in the possession of images of minors representing a pedo-pornographic character,” due to images created by Grok between December 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026.

In July, X said in a statement that the probe “egregiously undermines X’s fundamental right to due process and threatens our users' rights to privacy and free speech. [French officials have] accused X of manipulating its algorithm for 'foreign interference' purposes, an allegation which is completely false.”

Update, Feb 3 2026, 4:00pm ET: X posted a lengthly statement on its Global Government Affairs account, calling the allegations “baseless” and stating the company “categorically denies any wrongdoing.” The company went on to describe the raid as “an abusive act of law enforcement theater designed to achieve illegitimate political objectives rather than advance legitimate law enforcement goals.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/xs-paris-hq-raided-by-french-prosecutors-110411170.html?src=rss

Blizzard’s quality assurance workers finally have a union contract

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Almost three years after starting the bargaining process with Microsoft, quality assurance workers at two Blizzard locations have ratified a union contract. The agreement covers 60 workers at Blizzard Albany and Blizzard Austin.

The agreement includes guaranteed pay increases across the three years of the contract, assurances that workers will be given fair credits and recognition on games that ship, discrimination-free disability accommodations, restrictions on crunch (i.e. mandatory overtime) and "protection to immigrant workers from unfair discipline and loss of seniority while streamlining legal verification." Stronger rules around the use of AI are included in the contract as well.

“At a time when layoffs are hitting our industry hard, today is another big step in building a better future for video game workers at every level,” Blizzard Albany quality analyst Brock Davis said in a statement. “For quality assurance testers, this contract provides us wages to live on, increased job security benefits and guardrails around artificial intelligence in the workplace.”

As with other unions in Microsoft's game divisions, the Blizzard QA workers organized with the Communications Workers of America. This marks the third union agreement at Microsoft after ZeniMax and Raven Software workers ratified contracts last summer. Several other Blizzard divisions have unionized within the last year, including the cinematics team, Overwatch developers and a unit that works on Diablo.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/blizzards-quality-assurance-workers-finally-have-a-union-contract-162614979.html?src=rss

Indonesia is lifting its ban on Grok, but with some conditions

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Grok is once again available in Indonesia, after the country lifted its ban on the AI chatbot that was seen generating millions of sexualized deepfakes, thousands of which included children. The country's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs released a statement earlier today, which said X is allowed to resume service in Indonesia but will be subject to monitoring for any future violations.

According to the Indonesian government agency, X provided a letter that detailed several implemented measures that prevent the misuse of its Grok chatbot. Alexander Sabar, the ministry’s director general of digital space supervision, said in the statement that the agency will test the new measures on an ongoing basis and will ban Grok again if it's found spreading illegal content or violating the country's laws regarding children.

The issue dates back to earlier this year, when Indonesia, along with Malaysia and the Philippines, banned the AI chatbot after it was found producing sexually explicit deepfake images of women and children without their consent in response to user requests. Later that month, the Philippines lifted its ban on Grok, followed by Malaysia doing the same just a couple of days after. Similar to Indonesia, Malaysian authorities said they will continue to monitor Grok and threatened more enforcement actions if the AI chatbot repeats its past offenses. Beyond the bans, Grok is also facing investigations from California's attorney general and the UK's media regulator concerning the same issue.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/indonesia-is-lifting-its-ban-on-grok-but-with-some-conditions-175305634.html?src=rss

Malaysia lifts ban on Grok after taking X at its word

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After being one of the first countries in the world to block Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot, Malaysia has now lifted its ban. Along with Indonesia, the country moved swiftly to temporarily halt access to X's frequently controversial AI chatbot earlier this month, after multiple reports emerged of it being used to generate deepfake sexualized images of people, including women and children.

At the time, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the restrictions would remain in place until X Corp and parent xAI could prove they had enforced the necessary safeguards against misuse of the above nature.

Malaysian authorities appear to be taking X at its word, after the MCMC released a statement confirming it was satisfied that Musk’s company has implemented the required safety measures. It added that the authorities will continue to monitor the social media platform, and that any further user safety breaches or violations of Malaysian laws would be dealt with firmly.

At the time of writing, only Malaysia and Indonesia have hit Grok with official bans, though UK regulator Ofcom opened a formal investigation into X under the country’s Online Safety Act, in the wake of the non-consensual sexual deepfake scandal. X has since changed its image-editing policies, and on January 14 the company said Grok will no longer allow "the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis."

Earlier this week, the UK-based non-profit, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), estimated that in the 11-day period between December 29 and January 9, Grok generated approximately 3 million sexualized images, around 23,000 of which were of children.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/malaysia-lifts-ban-on-grok-after-taking-x-at-its-word-144457468.html?src=rss

California AG sends cease and desist to xAI over Grok’s explicit deepfakes

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sent a cease and desist letter to xAI, days after his office launched an official investigation into the company over reports that Grok was generating nonconsensual

If you’ll recall, xAI and Grok have been under fire for taking images of real individuals and putting them in revealing clothing like bikinis upon random users’ requests.

Bonta’s office demands that xAI immediately cease and desist from creating “digitized sexually explicit material” when the depicted individual didn’t consent to it or if the individual is a minor. It also demanded that xAI stop “facilitating or aiding and abetting the creation… or publication of digitized sexually explicit material” of nonconsenting individuals and persons under 18 years of age.

X changed its policies after the issue broke out and prevented the Grok account from being able to edit images of real people into revealing clothing. xAI also moved Grok’s image-generating features behind a paywall and geoblocked paying users’ ability to edit images of real people into bikinis, but only in regions where it’s illegal.

In his announcement, Bonta said xAI developed a “spicy mode” for Grok to generate explicit content and used it as a marketing point. The California AG also said that Grok-generated sexual images are being used to harass both public figures and ordinary users. “Most alarmingly, news reports have described the use of Grok to alter images of children to depict them in minimal clothing and sexual situations,” Bonta’s announcement reads.

“The actions above violate California law, including California Civil Code section 1708.86, California Penal Code sections 311 et seq. and 647(j)(4), and California Business & Professions Code section 17200,” it said. The state’s Department of Justice now expects to hear from xAI on the steps it’s taking to address these issues within the next five days.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/california-ag-sends-cease-and-desist-to-xai-over-groks-explicit-deepfakes-140000574.html?src=rss

TikTok sued by former workers over alleged union-busting

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You know things are messed up when a Big Tech company fights accusations of union-busting by insisting it was only AI layoffs. That's where things stand after a group of fired TikTok moderators in the UK filed a legal claim with an employment tribunal. The Guardian reported on Friday that around 400 TikTok content moderators who were unionizing were laid off before Christmas.

The workers were sacked a week before a vote was scheduled to establish a collective bargaining unit. The moderators said they wanted better protection against the personal toll of processing traumatic content at a high speed. They accused TikTok of unfair dismissal and violating UK trade union laws.

"Content moderators have the most dangerous job on the internet," John Chadfield, the national officer for tech workers at the Communication Workers Union (CWU), said in a statement to The Guardian. "They are exposed to the child sex abuse material, executions, war and drug use. Their job is to make sure this content doesn't reach TikTok's 30 million monthly users. It is high pressure and low paid. They wanted input into their workflows and more say over how they kept the platform safe. They said they were being asked to do too much with too few resources."

TikTok denied that the firings were union-busting, calling the accusations "baseless." Instead, the company claimed the layoffs were part of a restructuring plan amid its adoption of AI for content moderation. The company said 91 percent of transgressive content is now removed automatically.

The company first announced a restructuring exercise in August, just as hundreds of moderators in TikTok's London offices were organizing for union recognition. At the time, John Chadfield, CWU's National Officer for Tech, said the workers had long been "sounding the alarm over the real-world costs of cutting human moderation teams in favour of hastily developed, immature AI alternatives."

"That TikTok management have announced these cuts just as the company's workers are about to vote on having their union recognised stinks of union-busting and putting corporate greed over the safety of workers and the public,” Chadfield said.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/tiktok-sued-by-former-workers-over-alleged-union-busting-170446921.html?src=rss