Connect with us

News

Who decides what AI tells you? Campbell Brown, once Meta’s news chief, has thoughts

info

Published

1 month ago

on

55242809761 199f3d15fd k.jpg

Campbell Brown has spent her career chasing accurate information, first as a renowned TV journalist, then as Facebook’s first, and only, dedicated news chief. Now, watching AI reshape how people consume information, she sees history threatening to repeat itself. This time, she’s not waiting for someone else to fix it.

Her company, Forum AI — which she discussed recently with TechCrunch’s Tim Fernholz at a StrictlyVC evening in San Francisco — evaluates how foundation models perform on what she calls “high-stakes topics” — geopolitics, mental health, finance, hiring — subjects where “there are no clear yes-or-no answers, where it’s murky and nuanced and complex.”

The idea is to find the world’s foremost experts, have them architect benchmarks, then train AI judges to evaluate models at scale. For Forum AI’s geopolitics work, Brown has recruited Niall Ferguson, Fareed Zakaria, former Secretary of State Tony Blinken, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and Anne Neuberger, who led cybersecurity in the Obama administration. The goal is to get AI judges to roughly 90% consensus with those human experts, a threshold she says Forum AI has been able to reach.

Brown traces the origin of Forum AI, founded 17 months ago in New York, to specific moment. “I was at Meta when ChatGPT was first released publicly,” she recalled, “and I remember really shortly after realizing this is going to be the funnel through which all information flows. And it’s not very good.” The implications for her own children made the moment feel almost existential. “My kids are going to be really dumb if we don’t figure out how to fix this,” she recalled thinking.

What frustrated her most was that accuracy didn’t seem to be anyone’s priority. Foundation model companies, she said, are “extremely focused on coding and math,” whereas news and information are harder. But harder, she argued, doesn’t mean optional.

Indeed, when Forum AI began evaluating the leading models, the findings weren’t exactly encouraging. She cited Gemini pulling from Chinese Communist Party websites “for stories that have nothing to do with China,” and noted a left-leaning political bias across nearly all models. Subtler failures abound too, she said, including missing context, missing perspectives, straw-manning arguments without acknowledgment. “There’s a long way to go,” she said. “But I also think that there are some very easy fixes that would vastly improve the outcomes.”

Brown spent years at Facebook watching what happens when a platform optimizes for the wrong thing. “We failed at a lot of the things we tried,” she told Fernholz. The fact-checking program she built no longer exists. The lesson, even if social media has turned a blind eye to it, is that optimizing for engagement has been lousy for society and left many less informed.

Her hope is that AI can break that cycle. “Right now it could go either way,” she said; companies could give users what they want, or they could “give people what’s real and what’s honest and what’s truthful.” She acknowledged the idealistic version of that — AI optimizing for truth — might sound naive. But she thinks enterprise may be the unlikely ally here. Businesses using AI for credit decisions, lending, insurance, and hiring care about liability, and “they’re going to want you to optimize for getting it right.”

That enterprise demand is also what Forum AI is betting its business on, though turning compliance interest into consistent revenue remains a challenge, particularly given that much of the current market is still satisfied with checkbox audits and standardized benchmarks that Brown considers inadequate.

The compliance landscape, she said, is “a joke.” When New York City passed the first hiring bias law requiring AI audits, the state comptroller found more than half had violations that went undetected. Real evaluation, she said, requires domain expertise to work through not just known scenarios but edge cases that “can get you into trouble that people don’t think about.” And that work takes time. “Smart generalists aren’t going to cut it.”

Brown — whose company last fall raised $3 million led by Lerer Hippeau — is uniquely positioned to describe the disconnect between the AI industry’s self-image and the reality for most users. “You hear from the leaders of the big tech companies, ‘This technology is going to change the world,’ ‘it’s going to put you out of work,’ ‘it’s going to cure cancer,'” she said. “But then to a normal person who’s just using a chatbot to ask basic questions, they’re still getting a lot of slop and wrong answers.”

Trust in AI sits at extraordinarily low levels, and she thinks that skepticism is, in many cases, justified. “The conversation is sort of happening in Silicon Valley around one thing, and a totally different conversation is happening among consumers.”

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Showtime Bowl XIV: The Stage Is Set!’ Anyaorah Lotanna Eyes History As Bello Anuoluwapo Declares: ‘Champions Rise When It Matters Most’

info

Published

2 hours ago

on

June 23, 2026

By

Showtime Bowl XIV The Stage Is Set Anyaorah Lotanna Eyes.jpeg

The countdown to the biggest game in Nigerian flag football has entered its final stretch. With just five days to go until Showtime Bowl XIV, excitement is building across the country as the Abia-Warriors and Lagos Knights prepare for a championship showdown that promises to be one for the history books.

For the third consecutive season, the Warriors and Knights will battle for the Showtime Bowl trophy, extending a rivalry that has become the gold standard of Showtime Flag Football.

Read Also: Favour Ashe Blazes to 9.93s, Crowned Nigeria’s Fastest Man at AFN Commonwealth Games Trials | Sports247 Nigeria

The Warriors arrive with history on their side.

The Knights arrive with redemption on their minds.

And as anticipation reaches fever pitch, another group of stars is beginning to command the spotlight.

This time, it’s Bello Anuoluwapo and Anyaorah Lotanna.

LOTANNA READY TO HELP REWRITE HISTORY

The Lagos Knights have spent the entire season chasing one goal—returning to the Showtime Bowl and finally ending the dominance of the Abia-Warriors.

After powering through the playoffs with a dominant Wildcard performance before eliminating the Lagos Rebels in the semi-finals, the Knights now stand just one victory away from completing their redemption story.

One of the driving forces behind that remarkable run has been Anyaorah Lotanna, whose speed, composure and big-play ability have made him one of the league’s most exciting performers.

With another championship opportunity now within touching distance, Lotanna believes the Knights are better prepared than ever before.

“Every player dreams about moments like this. We’ve worked for months to earn another shot at the Warriors. This isn’t just another final—it’s our opportunity to change history.”

Having twice watched the Warriors celebrate at their expense, the Knights know exactly what is at stake.

For them, Showtime Bowl XIV is more than a championship game.

It is an opportunity to erase years of disappointment and finally bring the trophy back to Lagos.

BELLO ANUOLUWAPO: ‘CHAMPIONS RISE WHEN IT MATTERS MOST’

Standing in their way is a Warriors side that has built its reputation on performing under pressure.

The defending champions booked their place in the final after defeating the Ibom Raptors 46-33, once again proving why they remain the benchmark of Showtime Flag Football.

Among the Warriors’ standout performers throughout the campaign has been Bello Anuoluwapo, whose consistency, leadership and ability to deliver in crucial moments have helped keep the champions on course for another title.

As the countdown continues, Bello insists the Warriors are embracing the challenge that comes with defending their crown.

“Champions rise when it matters most. We’ve earned the right to defend this title, and we’re ready for another battle. The Knights are a great team, but we’re focused on finishing the job.”

 

The confidence inside the Warriors’ camp is understandable.

Two consecutive Showtime Bowl titles.

Two championship victories over the Knights.

Now, they stand just one win away from completing a historic three-peat and further cementing their legacy as one of the greatest teams in Showtime history.

THE RIVALRY THAT DEFINES SHOWTIME

Every great league has a rivalry that defines an era.

For Showtime Flag Football, that rivalry is Abia-Warriors versus Lagos Knights.

Three consecutive championship appearances between the same two teams is unprecedented in Showtime history and a reflection of the excellence, consistency and winning culture both organizations have built over the years.

The Warriors are chasing history.

The Knights are chasing redemption.

And neither side is prepared to leave Showtime Arena empty-handed.

THE BIGGEST SHOW IN NIGERIAN FLAG FOOTBALL

Beyond the rivalry, Showtime Bowl XIV represents another milestone in the remarkable growth of Showtime Flag Football.

Season XIV has produced unforgettable moments, breakout stars, thrilling playoff battles and an ever-growing fan base that continues to embrace the excitement of co-ed flag football.

Week after week, Showtime has continued to raise the standard, providing a platform where athletes compete at the highest level while inspiring the next generation of Nigerian flag football players.

Now, the journey reaches its final destination.

One stadium.

One championship.

One trophy.

Five days remain until two giants collide once again.

Will the Warriors continue their dynasty and complete a historic three-peat?

Or will the Knights finally rewrite history and claim the title that has twice slipped through their fingers?

The answers await on Sunday, June 28, when the lights shine brightest at Showtime Arena, Elegushi, Lekki.

The countdown is on.

Five days to go.

Welcome to Showtime Bowl XIV.

Continue Reading

News

I’m Jealous Wike is in PDP – APC Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda admits

info

Published

2 hours ago

on

June 23, 2026

By

Nentawe Yilwatda.jpeg

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, has expressed his admiration for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike’s work rate, while wondering when he sleeps.

Yilwatda, who said he’s jealous that Wike is in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, wished he could cause the Minister to defect to the APC.

He spoke during the flag-off of construction of Collector Road CO1 from Nile University area to Ring Road III, Extension of Body of Benchers road.

The road flagged off was part of projects to mark President Bola Tinubu’s third anniversary in office and he was represented by Yilwatda.

However, Yilwatda said: “The workaholic, every working, and tireless Minister, and I don’t know when you sleep.

“The Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, you know that I’m jealous that you are in the PDP, I wish I could corner you and bring you to APC.

“But I’m happy that PDP borrowed you to us in 2023 and I saw your letter then to the National Working Committee of PDP borrowing you to us.

“I don’t know that it would lead to such a remark feat by you that what APC can do some of the PDP members can also do it.”

Continue Reading

Trending