James Farrell

James Farrell is the former editor-in-chief of Chiang Mai CityNews, where he wrote and managed daily news, features, op-eds and blogs on a diverse range of topics. Prior to this, in the same city of Northern Thailand where he lives, he was the longstanding deputy editor of the monthly magazine Citylife. He has written on culture, politics, travel, tech, business, human rights, for local, national, and international news services and magazines. He has a keen interest in the role technology is playing in the transformation of society, culture and politics, especially in developing nations. This is reflected in his not-so-successful first novel.

Latest from James Farrell

Five new members added to the US AI Safety Institute, including an AI ‘doomer’

The Department of Commerce today announced that it has added five people to the AI Safety Institute’s leadership team, including a man who once predicted that there was a 50% chance that artificial intelligence development would end in doom for humanity. As part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, the new ...

Landmark UK law would criminalize making sexualized deepfakes even if they aren’t shared

The British government today announced it’s taking a zero-tolerance stance against sexually explicit deepfakes by introducing a new law that will mean creators of such content are at risk of being convicted of a crime even if they don’t share the video or image. AI-generated deepfake pornography videos have been around for a while, so ...

Report: Apple is planning to bring new AI-focused M4 chips to entire line of Macs

Apple Inc. is in the process of refreshing its line of Mac computers with M4 processors in an effort to improve performance for artificial intelligence capabilities, according to a report published by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman today. Just a year after the company introduced the next-generation M3 chip to improve the performance of its devices, we ...

Meta is facing a backlash over its cautious policy on political content

Hundreds of Instagram creators today issued an open letter expressing their concern with Meta Platforms Inc.’s recent policy of limiting political content on the platform. In February, Meta announced new policies regarding limiting political content, given this year will see a U.S. presidential election and a groundbreaking number of elections around the world. Meta, like other big ...

Microsoft chooses London as the hub to drive its AI advancements

Microsoft Corp. today said it’s looking at the “enormous pool of AI talent” in London where it will open a major new AI hub. This builds upon the £2.5 billion ($3.15 billion) Microsoft said last year that it will invest in the U.K. over three years. The investment will include a new data center in ...

US judge rules video evidence enhanced by AI is not admissible in homicide case

In what appears to be a landmark decision, a judge presiding over a triple murder case in Washington state has banned the use of a video enhanced by artificial intelligence. The ruling, signed by Superior Court Judge Leroy McCullogh in King County, Washington, is being reported as a first-of-its-kind in an era when the U.S. ...

IDF denies it uses AI software to target individuals in Gaza bombing campaigns

The Israel Defense Forces today denied it has been using an artificial intelligence system to create kill lists in its various bombing campaigns in Gaza. In what is a frankly dystopian-sounding investigative report, Israel’s +972 magazine, which said it had spoken to six Israeli intelligence officers on the condition of anonymity, claimed attacks on targets ...

Top musicians ask for protection against AI, calling it ‘an assault on human creativity’

Some of the biggest names in the music business published a signed open letter today decrying the “predatory” use of artificial intelligence in music, which they say must be stopped before it gets out of hand. More than 200 artists and artist estates put their names to the letter, which was published through the Artist ...

New York City will introduce controversial AI gun detection technology amid subway crime crisis

After what has been described as a spate of “lawlessness” on the subways of New York City this year, Mayor Eric Adams said today that artificial intelligence will be drafted to help cut down on the number of violent crimes. Adams reportedly has spent some time looking around the world for the perfect AI system to detect ...

Governor of Oregon signs popular right-to-repair bill into law

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek today signed Senate Bill 1596 into law, joining a growing list of other U.S. states that believe citizens should have more options to repair their consumer products. Oregon follows California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York, which each have similar laws, covering about 70 million Americans in total. Right-to-repair laws ...