Search

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has announced deals with celebrities such as Awkwafina, John Cena, Judi Dench, Kristen Bell, and Keegan-Michael Key to use their voices in a new AI assistant. The negotiations raised questions about privacy, compensation, and the control celebrities have over how their likeness is used. Meta is investing billions of dollars in AI products, including augmented-reality glasses and a new mixed-reality Quest headset. The company hopes that celebrity involvement will increase user engagement with its AI assistant. [Extracted from the article]

Meta, the tech giant, is set to unveil a new version of its smart glasses in collaboration with Ray-Ban. These glasses, equipped with a camera, microphones, and artificial intelligence, have gained popularity among consumers who use them to take photos and create content for social media. The second generation of these glasses has seen higher demand than expected, with Meta shipping over 700,000 pairs. While interest in virtual-reality headsets remains muted, the success of these smart glasses suggests a growing market for simpler, tech-enabled eyewear. [Extracted from the article]

The article details how Brazil's Supreme Court has ordered a freeze on Starlink's financial transactions, intensifying the conflict between Elon Musk and Brazil's judiciary. Topics include Starlink's response to the financial freeze and its decision to provide free service in Brazil, the Supreme Court's threat to ban Musk's social media platform X unless it appoints a new legal representative, and the broader implications of these legal battles on Musk's businesses and X's operations in Brazil.

The article examines how Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are using social media to appeal to digital-first voters. Topics include the competitive social media strategies of both candidates, their efforts to engage influencers to boost their online presence, and their use of digital platforms to connect with young voters.

Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, has raised $6 billion in its latest fundraising round, bringing its valuation to $24 billion. The funds will be used for research and development, infrastructure building, and bringing xAI's first products to market. Investors in the round include Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, Fidelity Management & Research, and Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal and Kingdom Holding. Despite competition from well-funded rivals, xAI aims to leverage Musk's other businesses, such as Tesla and X, to collect valuable data for training its AI models. [Extracted from the article]

The U.S.-China internet war is escalating as the House of Representatives passes a bill that would require ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to sell the app or cease operations in the U.S. The bill, which passed with a vote of 360-58, gives ByteDance up to a year to sell the app, after which it would be banned if no buyer is found. President Biden has expressed support for the bill. The Chinese government has indicated that it would not allow a forced sale of the company. This move comes as China increases its efforts to push foreign messaging and social media services out of the country. The legislation has political risks for both parties, as TikTok is popular among young people, who are a reliable voting bloc for Democrats. A TikTok ban could face legal challenges and potential retaliatory action from China. The tensions between the U.S. and China extend beyond TikTok, with both countries taking steps to distance themselves from each other in terms of technology. [Extracted from the article]

Investors close to Elon Musk are in talks to help his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, raise $3 billion in a funding round that would value the company at $18 billion. The venture-capital firm Gigafund and Steve Jurvetson, a prominent Musk backer, are among the potential investors. This fundraising effort is part of the ongoing competition in the artificial intelligence industry, with leading startups raising billions of dollars to support the development of advanced language models. Musk's xAI has been playing catch-up with its well-funded rivals, but recent releases of its chatbot and AI model have shown progress. A cash infusion from this funding round could help xAI attract top AI engineers and compete in the competitive job market. [Extracted from the article]

Waymo, the self-driving car startup owned by Google's parent company, has started testing driverless rides on freeways in Phoenix. This is a crucial step for the industry, as enabling cars to take freeway routes can cut ride times in half and help companies scale operations. Freeway rides would be most useful for ferrying passengers to and from airports and driving in cities with dense freeway networks. Waymo views Los Angeles as a potentially $2 billion market and has gained approval to start charging for driverless rides on freeways in the Bay Area and parts of Los Angeles. The rollout on freeways in Phoenix has largely been without trouble, and Waymo is limiting its driverless rides to employees for now to work out any issues before expanding to the public. [Extracted from the article]

General Motors' driverless-car business, Cruise, is under investigation by federal prosecutors for its handling of a case in which a self-driving car struck and dragged a pedestrian. Cruise is cooperating with the investigation and has released findings from a review by a law firm that found a failure of leadership in the company's dealings with regulators. The incident resulted in California regulators pulling Cruise's permits and was a setback for GM's plans to expand its robotaxi service. Cruise has acknowledged its responsibility to earn back public trust and is focused on advancing its technology. [Extracted from the article]

Activision Blizzard has reached a legal settlement with the California Civil Rights Department regarding gender discrimination charges. The settlement, which still needs to be approved by a judge, would end a legal battle that contributed to Activision's sale to Microsoft. Under the settlement, Activision will pay nearly $55 million, with $45.75 million going to a settlement fund for distribution to women who worked for the company from 2015 to 2020. Activision denies all allegations of wrongdoing and liability. The settlement also involves the withdrawal of sexual harassment claims by the state. [Extracted from the article]

Cruise, the self-driving car company owned by General Motors, has laid off 24% of its workforce, amounting to 900 workers. This decision comes after a series of safety mishaps and permit suspensions, including an incident in October where a self-driving Cruise collided with a woman. The company's CEO and co-founder have also resigned. Cruise plans to focus on one city once it resumes service, and a law firm has been hired to investigate the handling of the October incident. GM had previously expected Cruise to generate significant revenue by 2025. [Extracted from the article]

Nine executives have left General Motors' driverless-car unit, Cruise, following a review of the company's handling of an incident in which a pedestrian was seriously injured. The departed employees include the chief operating officer and the head of legal and policy. California regulators suspended Cruise's driverless permits after the incident, stating that the cars were not safe for public operation. Cruise has hired a law firm to investigate the incident, and GM will await the results before deciding on next steps for the business. [Extracted from the article]

A recent court ruling against Google has raised concerns about the future of the app-store economy, which has been a major source of profit for both Apple and Google. The ruling stated that Google had operated an illegal app-store monopoly, and while Google plans to appeal, this decision adds to a series of challenges faced by the tech giants. Regulators in Europe, Asia, and the US have been passing laws that challenge the companies' control over third-party software on smartphones. Despite these challenges, analysts are divided on the potential financial impact on Apple and Google, as the changes are expected to take years to fully play out. [Extracted from the article]

Google has lost an antitrust case brought by Epic Games, the maker of the popular game Fortnite. The San Francisco jury found that Google had maintained monopoly power by engaging in anticompetitive conduct. Epic Games alleged that Google used its dominant position to extract excessive profits from app developers. The verdict is seen as a win for app developers and consumers, as it demonstrates that Google's app store practices are illegal and abuse its monopoly power. Google plans to appeal the decision. [Extracted from the article]

Helen Toner, an AI academic and former board member of OpenAI, has shared her perspective on the power struggle that led to the firing and subsequent return of Sam Altman as CEO. Toner maintains that Altman's dismissal was due to a lack of trust rather than concerns about safety. She believes that the decision to fire Altman was in line with OpenAI's mission to ensure responsible AI development. Toner and other board members ultimately resigned, allowing Altman to return. The article also discusses the tensions between Altman and Toner prior to his firing and the fallout from the decision within the company. [Extracted from the article]

General Motors' self-driving car subsidiary, Cruise, has been ordered to testify before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regarding an incident in October where a pedestrian was hit. The CPUC alleges that Cruise omitted critical information about the safety of its vehicles in relation to the incident. Cruise could face a fine of up to $1.5 million. This comes after the company lost its driverless permits in California and its CEO resigned. Cruise has stated that it is committed to rebuilding trust with regulators and has hired a law firm to investigate its response to the incident. [Extracted from the article]

A federal judge in Montana has granted a preliminary injunction blocking a state law that would have banned TikTok, ruling that the law "likely violates the First Amendment." The judge stated that the state had not shown how the law would protect consumers. The legality of the ban itself will be decided in a future trial. Montana lawmakers introduced the bill due to concerns about user data being shared with the Chinese government, but TikTok has repeatedly denied sharing data and sued the state over the ban. The case could potentially reach the Supreme Court. [Extracted from the article]

General Motors' Cruise driverless-car unit plans to resume its robotaxi service in one city, scaling back from its previous strategy of deploying in multiple cities. The company's new co-president, Mo Elshenawy, outlined the plan in an employee email, but did not specify the city or timeline for the service's resumption. Cruise had previously launched efforts in several cities, including San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, Houston, and Miami. The decision to narrow the focus comes after California regulators revoked Cruise's driverless permits following a pedestrian accident involving one of its vehicles. [Extracted from the article]

General Motors' self-driving car unit, Cruise, has faced a series of mishaps that have raised concerns about the safety of its vehicles. These incidents include a driverless shuttle crashing into a building in Austin and a pedestrian being injured by a Cruise car. Following these incidents, Cruise's CEO, Kyle Vogt, and co-founder, Dan Kan, have both resigned. The company has faced criticism for its decision to roll out its driverless taxi service before addressing safety concerns. Despite these setbacks, GM remains committed to Cruise and sees it as a key part of its future revenue generation. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft temporarily blocked employee access to ChatGPT, an AI chatbot owned by OpenAI, citing security concerns. The decision was made by the information-technology department and caught management by surprise. However, the block was later reversed, and Microsoft stated that the restrictions were in error. The incident reflects broader security concerns surrounding AI tools, with other companies also restricting access to similar chatbots. Microsoft has a significant investment in OpenAI and promotes the use of enterprise versions of ChatGPT that offer greater privacy and security protections. [Extracted from the article]

Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has returned to positive revenue growth in the third quarter after two quarters of declining sales. The company reported a 5% year-over-year increase in revenue to $1.2 billion, surpassing analysts' predictions of a 1.6% drop. However, Snap is cautious about the potential impact of the Israel-Hamas war on its recovery. The company's net loss widened to $368 million, and it is not providing formal revenue guidance for the current quarter due to uncertainties caused by advertiser pauses. Despite these challenges, Snap is making progress in its ad tech and has introduced a subscription service called Snapchat+, which now has over 5 million paying users. The company is also utilizing artificial intelligence and offering financial incentives to attract more creators to the platform. Snapchat's daily active users grew 12% in the third quarter to 406 million. [Extracted from the article]

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has suspended Cruise's autonomous-driving permit, effectively halting its robot-taxi service in San Francisco. The DMV stated that Cruise's vehicles are not safe for public operation and that the company has misrepresented information regarding the safety of its technology. This suspension is the latest setback for GM's driverless-car division as it seeks to expand its paid-ride service and demonstrate its profitability. Cruise has faced problems in San Francisco, with cars stalling and being involved in incidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also opened a safety-defect probe into nearly 600 driverless cars operated by Cruise. [Extracted from the article]

TikTok is seeking to block a law in Montana that would ban the app for residents, arguing that it violates the First Amendment. The state is concerned about TikTok's ties to China and its potential to spy on users. A federal judge heard arguments from both sides and will make a decision on whether to block the law. This is the first state-level action taken against TikTok, and the judge's ruling on the injunction could indicate how he will rule in the overall case. [Extracted from the article]

Likewise, a startup backed by Bill Gates, has launched a chatbot called Pix that provides personalized recommendations for books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts. The chatbot uses OpenAI's natural-language processing technology and will learn users' preferences over time. Unlike other recommendation software, Pix suggests content across platforms and is free to use. However, the startup faces the challenge of gaining consumer traction and proving the effectiveness of its technology. [Extracted from the article]

Sales of its Quest 2 virtual-reality headsets, which are used to access Horizon Worlds and other virtual-reality apps, were also down in the most recent quarter, the company said. Wsjcorp, Computers/Consumer Electronics, Software, Applications Software, Artificial Intelligence Technologies, Broadcasting, Cable Broadcasting, Computing, Online Service Providers, Media/Entertainment Keywords: wsjcorp; Computers/Consumer Electronics; Software; Applications Software; Artificial Intelligence Technologies; Broadcasting; Cable Broadcasting; Computing; Online Service Providers; Media/Entertainment EN wsjcorp Computers/Consumer Electronics Software Applications Software Artificial Intelligence Technologies Broadcasting Cable Broadcasting Computing Online Service Providers Media/Entertainment N.PAG N.PAG 1 04/03/23 20230330 NES 230330 Disney and Microsoft both closed projects tied to the digital realm this month The metaverse, the virtual world that was the hot thing in tech less than two years ago, is facing a harsher reality. [Extracted from the article]