The Drums Daily Briefing: Captchas get harder & Metas big AI bet spooks investors [Video]

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Captchas – those little puzzles you need to complete before you can proceed on a website – originated in the early 2000s, designed to differentiate humans from bots. However, as artificial intelligence and machine learning have evolved, so too have the complexities of Captchas. A recent study from the University of California, Irvine, shows that bots now often outperform humans in solving these puzzles, pushing developers to craft even trickier tests. Now, instead of deciphering twisted text, we’re tasked with identifying multiple images of traffic lights or counting fish skeletons in rotating pictures. As Captchas grow increasingly sophisticated, they prompt the question: Are we keeping bots out or just frustrating humans?