Meta is introducing a central hub for account support on Facebook and Instagram that is designed to make help faster and easier to find in the event of being hacked or locked out, or when needing guidance on settings and safety.

The hub will bring together reporting tools, recovery options, and AI-powered answers in one place on iOS and Android devices. On Facebook, Meta is also testing out an AI support assistant on Facebook intended to deliver instant and personalized help, and they plan to expand this service to other apps as well over time.

Within this new hub, users can report account issues, use AI-powered searches, and access recovery tools without the need to comb through numerous resources. The preview of the AI support assistant on Facebook is intended to guide users through account recovery, profile management and settings updates. Users on other platforms can expect this feature to arrive on Instagram and other apps soon as well.

The goal of the new feature is to prioritize accessible support that is always available. Meta acknowledges that their support on these matters has not always met expectations, and with this latest announcement they express their commitment to investing in an improvement on these kinds of user services.

Thanks to the assistance of AI, Meta highlights security improvements that have taken place across their platforms over the past year. These improvements include a more than 30% decrease of new account hacks on Facebook and Instagram as well as a more than 30% increase in hacked account recovery.

New AI systems have supported these trends by blocking suspicious logins, flagging compromised accounts, and distinguishing legitimate users from hackers in real time.

If a user loses access to their account, they will now see recovery options at the right time while also receiving improved email and SMS alerts about risky activity. There is new and enhanced recognition of trusted devices and familiar locations, and a selfie video is now optional to verify users’ identity when needed. Other built-in safeguards include Security Checkup, two-factor authentication, and passkeys on Facebook and Messenger.

University of West Florida researchers are now using artificial intelligence to track data that will improve how damage from wildfires is mapped.

UWF Ph.D. student Valeria Martin has introduced what’s being called CalFireSeg-50, a dataset that was formulated from satellite imagery and data from 50 of the largest wildfires in California between 2019 and 2023, said a UWF news release.

Martin conducted her research with assistance from Brent Venable, UWF Director of the Intelligent Systems and Robotics Doctoral Program at UWF, and Derek Morgan, UWF Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences. They collected satellite images and provided the examples to AI, which developed recognition of fire-damaged areas. Then, using the images, the AI developed mapping systems.

“By pairing satellite data with deep-learning models, we can detect wildfire damage with high accuracy,” Martin said. “The insights from this work can support emergency response, environmental monitoring and long-term recovery planning.”

The AI programming helps develop models to indicate where fires might burn the hottest. That data helps emergency responders understand how wildfires burn and spread while pinpointing areas of priority. The AI imagery and maps also help analyze damage and track vegetation patterns across land after a blaze in the recovery phase.

“This project showcases how advanced GeoAI techniques can meaningfully support environmental monitoring,” Venable said. “Valeria’s exceptional work demonstrates the power of interdisciplinary research and reflects the innovative spirit of the Intelligent Systems and Robotics doctoral program.”

Martin’s research is gaining more attention and observation. She presented the Findings of her research at the 13th annual Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Spatial Information conference that took place in Minneapolis in November.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles isn’t standing by after an article in Vanity Fair showcased what the outlet said were her quotes critiquing a number of people in the Donald Trump administration.

“The article published early this morning is a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history,” Wiles said following the article’s release.

“Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team.”

The article by Chris Whipple describes Wiles leaving a meeting with the Cabinet, telling Trump it was an “emergency” that didn’t “involve” him, before quoting her saying the President has an “alcoholic personality.”

The outlet also attributed other eye-catching comments from Wiles, such as remarks that Vice President JD Vance has been a “conspiracy theorist for a decade,” that Office of Management and Budget head Russell Vought is a “right-wing absolute zealot,” and that former Department of Government Efficiency impresario Elon Musk has a ketamine habit.

Whipple said the article came after “many on-the-record conversations.”