Alex Fink
Alex Fink (born Alexander Yakovlevich Fink, on July 26, 1984) is an American programmer and entrepreneur.[1][2] He is the founder and CEO of the social news media startup Otherweb,[3] and a co-founder of the military tech startup Swarmer.[4]
Early life
Alexander Yakovlevich Fink was born in Tiraspol, then in the Moldovan SSR, on July 26, 1984, in a Jewish family. He grew up in Israel. In 2008, after living and working in Japan for a year, he moved to the United States.[5]
Fink attended the Technion, in Israel, and received a bachelor’s degree in computer sciences. He then attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and received an MBA.[6]
Career
In 2016, Fink founded Panopteo, a technical consulting company that developed video cameras and computer vision software. By 2021, he had a crisis of conscience and decided the world didn’t need more cameras; the company was slowly wound down in spite of 6 years of continuous profitability.[7]
In 2021, Fink founded the Otherweb - an artificial intelligence company focused on using AI to help people consume higher-quality information.[8][9] The company operates a portfolio of websites and apps that aggregate news, commentary, podcasts, research studies, and other forms of content, and use artificial intelligence to remove low-quality material.[10][11] By November 2023, the combined user base of the Otherweb’s products was 5.4m active users.[12][13]
In 2023, Fink co-founder Swarmer - a military tech startup that develops software for managing drone swarm missions. The startup received funding from D3 - a military tech fund created by Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt.[14] As of December 2023, Swarmer’s products are used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in its defensive war against Russia.[15]
Views on fake news and misinformation
Fink holds the controversial view that fake news and misinformation are primarily the result of bad incentives, and are rarely caused by malicious actors or propaganda. He argued that “if the content is monetized through ads, and ads pay-per-click or per-view, then most content will drift towards clickbait over time; truth and quality are bound to suffer”.
References
- ↑ Zuckerman, Ethan. "How to stop the internet becoming a junk heap" (in en). https://dlv.prospect.gcpp.io/ideas/technology/60510/how-to-stop-the-internet-becoming-a-junk-heap.
- ↑ Magazine, Authority (2023-02-18). "Alexander Fink of Otherweb On The Future Of Artificial Intelligence" (in en). https://medium.com/authority-magazine/alexander-fink-of-otherweb-on-the-future-of-artificial-intelligence-dd6c93a10fc9.
- ↑ "Balancing your digital diet starts with cutting empty calories for the brain, says Otherweb founder" (in en-US). 2023-03-06. https://www.fox5dc.com/news/balancing-your-digital-diet-starts-with-cutting-empty-calories-for-the-brain-says-otherweb-founder.
- ↑ Sherman, Jason (2023-12-04). "Zero to CEO: Insights on AI and the media landscape with Alex Fink" (in en). https://jasonsherman.medium.com/zero-to-ceo-insights-on-ai-and-the-media-landscape-with-alex-fink-9f90d61efd55.
- ↑ "Tips to improve brain health with better screen habits" (in en-US). 2023-06-25. https://www.kvue.com/article/news/health/brain-health-screen-habits/269-2a098301-63d6-4979-9f9a-aa2295426098.
- ↑ Chakraborty, Avik (2023-06-22). "Mindful Media: Nurturing Mental Wellness in the Digital AgeMindful Media: Nurturing Mental Wellness in the Digital Age". https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/p/mindful-media-nurturing-mental-wellness-4d5.
- ↑ Lauritsen, Whitney (2023-04-14). "Feeding Your Mind: Tips On A Healthy Information Diet With Alex Fink" (in en-US). https://podcast.wellevatr.com/feeding-your-mind-tips-on-a-healthy-information-diet-with-alex-fink.
- ↑ "Tech company grades news articles for readers, and experts advise them to be cautious as they try it" (in en). 2022-09-26. https://www.tpr.org/technology-entrepreneurship/2022-09-26/tech-company-grades-news-articles-for-readers-but-experts-advise-caution-as-they.
- ↑ publisher (2023-02-06). "Otherweb Can Help Avoid Fake News Embarrassment" (in en-US). https://www.technewsworld.com/story/otherweb-can-help-avoid-fake-news-embarrassment-177767.html.
- ↑ "Digital diet important for mental health | Health Smart" (in en-US). 2023-05-02. https://www.fox43.com/article/news/health/health-smart-digital-diet-is-important-for-healthy-minds/521-423f5636-d4d4-4016-ae45-18bcf15d8ebd.
- ↑ "67 Otherweb Cuts Junk from Your News Diet" (in en-US). https://publicinfrastructure.org/podcast/alex-fink-otherweb/.
- ↑ "ChatGPT or cheating? A look at the AI product that could cause headaches for parents as kids head back to school - CBS Pittsburgh" (in en-US). 2023-08-28. https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/chatgpt-or-cheating-a-look-at-the-ai-product-that-could-cause-headaches-for-parents-as-kids-head-back-to-school/.
- ↑ "Austin-Based Startup Promises to Filter Junk with New AI-Based Engine" (in en). 2022-12-06. https://www.azorobotics.com/News.aspx?newsID=13457.
- ↑ "Ukrainian AI startup Swarmer secures funding from D3 Accelerator" (in en-US). https://ain.capital/2023/11/16/ukrainian-swarmer-secures-funding-from-d3/.
- ↑ "Alex Fink: In digital matters "the biggest problem is that we all consume garbage"" (in en-US). 2022-08-30. https://peninsula360press.com/en_us/alex-fink-en-materia-digital/.
