McDonald's Tests Humanoid Robots in Shanghai Restaurant

McDonald's deployed humanoid robots for a temporary greeting at the opening of its Shanghai Science and Technology Museum restaurant. The machines, supplied by Chinese firm Keenon Robotics, were part of a five-day trial.

Diners observed cyborgs in red and yellow uniforms behind counters. One humanoid, wearing a black "chef" uniform, greeted arrivals, while others made the brand's "M" sign and performed dance moves.

Executive Vice President Jon Banner clarified the museum requested the robots solely to draw attention. Banner added that the robots "were not involved in any service or operational functions."

Children at the restaurant chased other robots disguised as animals, which delivered food and cleaned floors. Keenon Robotics stated online the initiative showcased service automation becoming a "seamless part of global dining."

Keenon Robotics' "Dinerbot T10" boasts 3D vision for safer obstacle avoidance and open-access trays for easy food retrieval. It features a six-wheel shock-absorbing chassis to prevent spillage. Its screen can display animal faces, including a cat, bunny, and deer. These models retail online for approximately £11,500 to £16,000.

The "Kleenbot C40" includes a triple-brush system for separating dry and wet spillages. It handles crowds and irregular obstacles, collecting hair, paper scraps, dust, coffee, and juice.

The recently released "XMAN-R1" humanoid, designed for interacting with people, has an online price tag of USD 100,000.

Separately, a dancing robot at a Haidilao hotpot restaurant in San Jose, California, slammed its hands on a table, sending chopsticks and sauce flying. Staff intervened as the robot continued to dance.

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• McDonald's deployed humanoid robots for a temporary greeting at its Shanghai Science and Technology Museum restaurant opening.

• The robots, supplied by Keenon Robotics, provided entertainment and drew attention, as requested by the museum.

• Executive Vice President Jon Banner confirmed the robots were not involved in the restaurant's service or operational functions.

Source: DAILY MAIL

Meta to Lay Off Hundreds of Employees

Meta Platforms is laying off a few hundred people across multiple teams on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. These personnel reductions follow earlier reports suggesting broader company workforce adjustments.

Credirt: UNSPLASH

Previously, reports indicated Meta was planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of its workforce. Senior leaders were reportedly told to begin planning for potential reductions.

The current round of layoffs is on a smaller scale compared to these earlier projections. According to an earlier report in The Information, the cuts would affect Meta's Reality Labs division, social media teams and recruiting operations.

A Meta spokesperson stated, "Teams across Meta regularly restructure or implement changes to ensure they’re in the best position to achieve their goals. Where possible, we are finding other opportunities for employees whose positions may be impacted,"

The parent company of Facebook aims to offset escalating costs related to significant investments in artificial intelligence (AI). The organisation has forecast total expenses of USD 162 billion to USD 169 billion in 2026.

Rising employee compensation also contributes to these costs, as the company spends millions to hire top AI talent. According to its annual filing, Meta had nearly 79,000 employees as of Dec. 31.

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• Meta Platforms is laying off hundreds of employees across various teams.

• These layoffs are described as smaller in scale compared to earlier reports of potential broader workforce reductions.

• Cuts are expected to affect Meta's Reality Labs division, social media teams, and recruiting operations.

Source: REUTERS

Meta, Google Found Negligent in Social Media Harm to Youth Case

A Los Angeles jury found Meta and Alphabet's Google negligent for designing social media platforms harmful to young people. The verdict, totalling USD 6 million, is a bellwether for numerous similar cases.

Credit: UNSPLASH

The jury found Meta liable for USD 4.2 million in damages and Google for USD 1.8 million. These are small amounts for two of the world's most valuable companies, each with annual capital spending exceeding USD 100 billion.

The Los Angeles trial serves as a test case for thousands of similar lawsuits consolidated in California state courts. The plaintiff’s lead counsel stated, "Today’s verdict is a referendum — from a jury, to an entire industry — that accountability has arrived."

Meta and Google disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal, according to spokespeople for each company. Shares of Meta closed up 0.3%, and Google parent Alphabet finished 0.2% higher.

The case involves Kaley, a 20-year-old woman who was a minor when the case began. She stated she became addicted to Google's YouTube and Meta's Instagram at a young age due to their attention-grabbing designs. Features like the "infinite scroll" encourage users to keep looking at new posts.

The jury found Google and Meta were negligent in the design of both applications. They also failed to warn about their dangers. US law strongly protects social media companies from liability for content on their platforms, but the Los Angeles plaintiff focused on platform design rather than content.

Gil Luria, a technology sector analyst at investment firm D.A. Davidson, called the verdict a "setback" for Meta and Google. He stated this process would likely continue through future cases and appeals, but may eventually cause companies to implement consumer safeguards that could dampen growth.

Snap and TikTok were also defendants in the trial. Both settled with the plaintiff before the trial began, though terms of the agreements were not disclosed. Large technology companies in the US have faced mounting criticism over child and teen safety in the last decade.

The debate has now shifted to courts and state governments, as the US Congress has declined to pass comprehensive legislation regulating social media. At least 20 states enacted laws last year on social media usage and children, according to the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures, an organisation that tracks state laws.

This legislation includes bills that regulate cellphone use in schools and require users to verify their ages to open a social media account. NetChoice, a trade association backed by technology companies such as Meta and Google, is seeking to invalidate age verification requirements in court.

US senators Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, called on Congress to pass legislation directing social media companies to design their platforms with kids' safety in mind. A separate social media addiction case brought by several states and school districts against technology companies is expected to go to trial this summer in federal court in Oakland, California.

Another state trial is slated to begin in Los Angeles in July, according to Matthew Bergman, one of the attorneys leading the cases for the plaintiffs. That trial will involve Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.

Separately, a New Mexico jury on Tuesday found Meta violated state law in a lawsuit brought by the state's attorney general. The attorney general accused Meta of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and of enabling child sexual exploitation on those platforms.

At trial, the plaintiff's lawyers sought to show Meta and Google intentionally targeted children and made decisions prioritising profit over safety. Meta's attorneys emphasised the plaintiff's difficult home life as a child as the cause of her mental health struggles. YouTube argued her usage of the streaming platform was minimal.

Jurors saw internal documents revealing how Meta and Google sought to attract younger users. Executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, took the stand last month to defend company decisions.

When asked about Meta's decision to lift a temporary ban on beauty filters, which some inside Meta warned could be harmful to teen girls, Zuckerberg said he decided to let users express themselves. "I felt like the evidence wasn’t clear enough to support limiting people’s expression," he said. How free speech and content moderation factored into the companies' decisions is likely to play a part in any appeal.

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• A Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google negligent for designing social media platforms harmful to young people.

• Meta was liable for USD 4.2 million and Google for USD 1.8 million in damages.

• The verdict serves as a bellwether for thousands of similar lawsuits against technology companies.

Source: REUTERS