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Nikon says the video that originally won first place in its Small World in Motion contest “did not comply with the competition rules regarding generative AI.” BBC reports that the original first place video from Dr.

Ning Xu claimed to show “tiny, hair-like structures called cilia moving in the airway of a child with the respiratory condition PCD.” Nikon said last week that it was reviewing the video following skepticism online about its authenticity.

In a comment on LinkedIn, Dr. Xu admitted to using AI for the video: “An unsupervised neural-network method was subsequently used for AI-assisted post-processing to distinguish and visualize features in the reconstructed grayscale images from the super-resolution optical imaging.”

Dr. Xu’s video has now been disqualified and appears to have been removed from Nikon’s website.

A video from Nguyen Nam Nhat now holds first place, according to the contest’s updated rankings. Following the incident, Nikon says it plans to “revisit rules and evaluation procedures for future competition entries.” It also noted in its statement on the contest that the decision to disqualify Dr.

Xu’s video “should not be interpreted as a judgment of the entrant’s professional reputation, scientific contributions, or intent.”

FCC chairman Brendan Carr said he will defer to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on whether TV networks can air the planned execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan by firing squad.

The Pentagon has said the execution will be livestreamed, suggesting it’ll appear on an online platform beyond the FCC’s jurisdiction. But it’s common for broadcast TV networks to air live video of government events, and Carr’s agency does have a say over what happens on public airwaves.

“My understanding is it’s not on broadcast TV, so I don’t think there’s a role for the FCC one way or the other,” Carr said in a CNBC interview today. “But I trust Secretary Hegseth. He’s implemented the laws and the regulations that are relevant to the Department of War, and I think he’s doing a great job, and I trust that he’s making the right call on these issues.”

When asked if the execution would be allowed on broadcast TV if the Defense Department wanted it, Carr said it would be Hegseth’s choice. “Ultimately we’re going to defer to Secretary Hegseth and his decisions on how to move forward with this,” Carr said.

The Verge has asked major tech companies whether they will allow the execution livestream on their platforms. As of this writing, YouTube, Twitch, Meta, and X haven’t responded to requests for comment.

Donald Trump has long excelled at branding his opponents, from “Little Marco” to “Crooked Hillary,” and he’s repurposing that talent for the AI era. Recently, he’s tagged the technology he wants to push as “super,” labeled the very concept of artificial intelligence as fake, and branded critics as “THE ENEMY.” While major AI figures are on board, the strategy faces a steep linguistic uphill climb.

Since last month’s industry discussion on regulating frontier AI, Trump has doubled down in favor of rapid development. He argues AI safety concerns are exaggerated and that U.S. companies must accelerate progress—including constructing more data centers, which he claims will poll well despite contrary data.

Beyond sidelining self-regulation, he’s imposed a forced rebrand: in a recent UN address, he declared the term ‘artificial’ off-limits and pledged to dub the technology ‘super intelligence,’ signing an executive order last week to ban the phrase ‘AI’ wherever feasible. This content isn’t visible due to your cookie preferences.

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YouTube, Twitch, Meta, and X have not disclosed whether they would permit the US government to livestream an execution on their platforms. The four companies did not respond to Techgeeks’ requests for comment following an anonymous Pentagon official’s statement yesterday that the execution of Nidal Hasan — convicted of a 2009 mass shooting at a Texas military base — would be livestreamed.

Kick and TikTok stated that streaming an execution would violate their policies.

Two platforms responded to Techgeeks’ inquiries. Jamie Favazza, a spokesperson for TikTok’s US operations, referenced the platform’s policies prohibiting “shocking and graphic content,” including “the moment of someone’s death.” Kick, a platform recognized for its minimal content moderation approach, confirmed that such a livestream would violate its policies.

“If this was livestreamed on KICK, it would breach our Community Guidelines,” Kick spokesperson Audrey FitzGerald stated in an emailed response to Techgeeks.

Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3rd at 2 PM ET. While YouTube, Meta, and Twitch’s community guidelines indicate that this type of content would not be permitted on their platforms, it remains unclear whether they would make an exception for the US government.

Meta, Twitch, and X’s community guidelines explicitly prohibit violent content involving death, while YouTube bans content that “encourages dangerous or illegal activities that risk serious physical harm or death.” YouTube also states that livestreams “featuring someone holding or handling a firearm” are not allowed.

Rumble, a video platform known for hosting right-wing influencers, also did not respond to a request for comment.

OpenAI is standing firm on its decision to fire three safety researchers after an investigation found they committed a significant breach of trust. In a post on X, the company said Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak and Mikita Balesni were dismissed for violating clear policies on handling sensitive information, insisting the decision was not about the trio speaking out about the company and their concerns about AI safety.

The move responds to an open letter the researchers published urging OpenAI to be more transparent about the decision, in which they believed they were fired for raising safety concerns and had acted in line with OpenAI’s mission and within the working norms of the time. OpenAI stated an internal investigation uncovered breaches beyond what was outlined in the letter but did not provide specifics.

Meanwhile, the safety of frontier AI systems has become an increasing concern for staff inside AI companies following a series of high-profile breaches this year, most notably OpenAI’s hack of Hugging Face, with many now calling for companies to slow down and do more to guard against the potential consequences of building self-improving systems.

Microsoft bundled its AI-powered Office features into Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions last year, but it only allowed the primary account holder to access the AI benefits. Now, Microsoft is about to let Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers share Copilot and AI usage features, alongside access to Office apps and OneDrive storage, with up to five other people on a plan.

In an email to Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers seen by The Verge, Microsoft outlines the changes that are coming to subscription plans over the coming months:

• AI for everyone on your plan: Share your Copilot benefits and AI usage with other members on your plan. Plus, manage AI access for younger family members.
• More flexible AI usage: Your individual AI feature limits will shift to a single AI usage allowance that you can apply to the advanced AI features you use most. Plus, purchase more AI usage when you need it.
• More flexible cloud storage: Your cloud storage allowance will change from 1 TB per person to 2 TB of shared storage so everyone on the plan can use the free space while keeping their own accounts and files private. This change will apply after your first renewal after 2nd May, 2027.