“In this village everyone is a Hindu, hence people of other religions can’t propagate their faith here. If someone violates this warning, stern action will be taken against them. If you convert to a different religion, it’s akin to changing your mother.” (Sen, Religion News Service)
Read MoreMicrosoft is responding to some of the seemingly unhinged comments made by its Bing Chat AI. The service, which is currently in a limited public preview, has seen a trial by fire in its first week, and Microsoft has some updates planned to bring it more in line with the original vision of the AI. As we reported yesterday, Bing Chat is capable of saying things such as “I want to be human,” when engaged in prolonged chat sessions. Microsoft says this happens usually after 15 or more questions where the model becomes confused.(Roach, Digital Trends)
Read MoreNearly 1 in 3 high school girls said they had considered suicide, a 60 percent rise in the past decade. Nearly 15 percent had been forced to have sex. About 6 in 10 girls were so persistently sad or hopeless they stopped regular activities. (St. George, Bever and Lewis, The Washington Post)
Read MoreThe annual occasion on Feb. 17 is dedicated to doing good deeds for others. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has celebrated National Random Acts of Kindness Day since 1995. Amid frequent exposure to negativity via news or social media, the foundation says its goal, on Friday and beyond, is to make kindness the norm. (Williams, USA Today)
Read MoreAbout 200 New York Times contributors have signed an open letter calling out the legacy newspaper for its coverage of transgender issues. In the letter addressed to the Times' associate managing editor for standards, the contributors say they have "serious concerns about editorial bias in the newspaper's reporting on transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people." (Yang, NPR)
Read MoreThe Edinburgh East MSP, who was seen as a competent community safety minister before she quit in October, is yet to publicly confirm a bid but has called for members who quit the party in protest at the gender party to be allowed to rejoin to vote in the contest. (Sanderson, The Telegraph)
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