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☆ When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

People have wanted to reconnect with deceased loved ones for centuries, whether they’ve visited mediums and spiritualists or leaned on services that preserve their memory. In September 2023, it introduced ChatGPT voice, where users can ask the chatbot prompts without typing. HereAfter AI, founded in 2019, allows users to create avatars of deceased loved ones. “Remembering is very important; it reflects the human condition and importance of deceased loved ones.”But she noted the relationship we have with our closest loved ones is built on authenticity. Creating an AI version of that person could for many “feel like a violation of that.”Bill Abney said he feels uneasy about communicating with his late fiancée through AI platforms.

Persons: Ana Schultz, Kyle, ”, Schultz, “, Schutz, they’ve, ” Ana Schultz, ElevenLabs, Joe Biden, Biden, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Danielle Jacobson, she’s, Phil, Cole, ” Jacobson, “ Cole, Replika, Rohit Prasad, Val Kilmer, It’s, Mary, Frances O’Connor, ‘, ’ ”, Bill Abney, Kari, ” Abney, “ I’m, Jodi Spiegel, Sims Organizations: CNN, Davidson College, Tech, Alexa, MARS, Amazon, University of Arizona Locations: Rock Falls , Illinois, Alabama, Johannesburg, South Africa, “, San Francisco, Newfoundland, Canada

For even more discounts, check out our roundup of the best Best Buy deals and the best Mother's Day sales. Amazon sale quicklinks Amazon Echo : Get up to 50% off select Echo speakers. Amazon Fire : Get up to 40% off select Fire TV streaming devices. : Get up to 40% off select Fire TV streaming devices. Shop at AmazonThis is just a small sample of this weekend's top Amazon sale picks.

Persons: I've, Ralph Lauren, De'Longhi, Siri, It's Organizations: Business, Walmart, Apple, Echo, Sporting, Amazon Apple, Apple Health, Amazon Bose, Google, Amazon Fire

☆ Bill Gates Is Still Pulling Strings at Microsoft, Overseeing AI Ideas
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

In fact, Business Insider has learned, Gates has been quietly orchestrating much of Microsoft's AI revolution from behind the scenes. The company, Nadella promised, would "continue to benefit from Bill's ongoing technical passion and advice to drive our products and services forward." According to two executives, Gates' memo treated as gospel, sparking Microsoft's push to take the lead in the AI arms race. Now, it seemed, OpenAI might offer Microsoft a way to help forge the AI future that Gates had long envisioned. According to two executives, Gates' words were treated as gospel, helping spark Microsoft's push to take the lead in the AI arms race.

Persons: Bill Gates, Satya Nadella, Gates, Siri, They're, Clippy, Copilot, That's, Sam Altman, — Gates, Satya, Nadella, Steve Ballmer, Peter Thiel bashed, Bill, Melinda, Jeffrey Epstein, Nadella's, Rather, OpenAI, Kevin Scott, Scott, Altman, you'll, OpenAI's, Bing —, Bing, Steve, Sam, Kayla Wood, Frank Shaw, Shaw, —, Charles Lamanna, Jaime Teevan, Jeff Teper, Charlie Bell —, He's, Forbes, Mustafa Suleyman, DeepMind, Bill G, Suleyman, aren't, hadn't, there's, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Microsoft, Agents, Business, Google, Wired, Street Journal, Rover, Steve Jobs, OpenAI, Amazon Web Services Locations: Tay, Gates, Clippy, Washington, Redmond , Washington, Seattle

☆ A woman is trying to free her fiancé from prison after 49 years behind bars
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Thomas Lake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

According to a trial transcript, two friends of Durrett also testified they’d heard Ezra make similar statements. Durrett didn’t implicate Ezra until months after the crime — and after he, Durrett, had been charged with the murder. And although she has been “madly in love” before, Christine said she’d never felt such pure love as she does with Ezra. But the older man said the younger man couldn’t love her because he didn’t even love himself. A few days later he told Christine about another man who needed her help.

Persons: Alexa, ”, “, Christine, Christine Roess, Smokey Robinson, Van Morrison, he’d, Ezra, Morris Weitz, Thomas Durrett, Durrett, they’d, didn’t, ” Durrett, Ezra Bozeman’s, ” Christine Roess, she’d, ” Christine, Ezra Bozeman, Christine Roess Ezra, Dana Kelly, Kelly, Teddy Pendergrass, Edwin Hawkins, Christine Roess “ Alexa, I’ve, Team Free Ezra —, —, Josh Shapiro, I’ll, Yusef Organizations: CNN, Fortune, Laurel Highlands, Team Free, Department of Corrections, Savage Locations: Philadelphia, Bozeman, Pittsburgh, Laurel Highlands, Laurel, couldn’t

☆ Big Tech has split into 3 camps: loved, hated and iffy. Here's where our 8 stocks fit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

META YTD mountain Meta Platforms YTD Meta has the biggest tailwind on Earth being dangled in front of it — the newly signed law that says Chinese company ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a U.S. ban on the short-form video platform. AMZN YTD mountain Amazon YTD Amazon is also in the loved category but reports this coming Tuesday. NVDA YTD mountain Nvidia YTD I have no idea how Nvidia got to be a fence-sitter. AVGO YTD mountain Broadcom YTD Broadcom is iffy. CRM YTD mountain Salesforce YTD Salesforce has become mighty complicated.

Persons: I'm, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Andy Jassy, It's, Claude AI, Jensen Huang, Nvidia's, hasn't, it's, Hock Tan, Salesforce, Marc Benioff, what's, that's, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Carlos Barria Organizations: Microsoft, Meta, he's, Google, Amazon, Services, Nvidia, Broadcom, Blackwell, VMWare, calvary, PayPal, Informatica, Apple, CNBC, Facebook Locations: U.S, Oregon, Informatica, China, Menlo Park , California

☆ I love staring at my phone. So why are some tech companies trying to stop me?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Bad reviews of the AI Pin point out how it can't replace a phone. AdvertisementI was excited for the AI Pin, I really was. Unfortunately, the reviews of the AI Pin so far have been dreadful. I don't stare at my phone in a restaurant, a movie theater, or while talking to someone. I don't think my consciousness will ascend to a higher plane if I could only tear myself away from the 2,000-nit light of my iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Persons: —, we've, Siri, There's, They're, Joanna Stern, Sam Altman, I'm, I'd, Max Organizations: Service, The, Journal, Meta, Apple Watch Locations: UAE

☆ You can now place DoorDash and Uber Eats orders through a call with an AI voice bot
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some restaurants are connecting callers to an AI voice service to place DoorDash and Uber Eats orders. Many people now place delivery orders online, but Kea's founder says restaurants sometimes struggle to handle phone orders. AdvertisementA new voice AI service means diners can place delivery orders with services like DoorDash and Uber Eats via phone call. The AI guides them through the transactions, including suggesting add-ons and recommending items they got in previous orders, Ahmad said. The delivery platforms that Kea can refer orders to are DoorDash, Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub, and Favor, Ahmad said.

Persons: DoorDash, Uber, Kea, —, Adam Ahmad, Ahmad, Siri, –, who'll, Olo, They'd, We're, NDAs — Organizations: Voice, Service, California Fish Locations: Kea, California

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says he's committed to cost cutting while investing in AI in shareholder letter
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +41 min

This work diminished short-term revenue, but was best for customers, much appreciated, and should bode well for customers and AWS longer-term. We're also making progress on many of our newer business investments that have the potential to be important to customers and Amazon long-term. Being intentional about building primitives requires patience. Customers building their own FM must tackle several challenges in getting a model into production. Customers' AI models contain some of their most sensitive data.

Persons: Andy Jassy, Jassy, Jeff Bezos, he's, we've, Martha Stewart, Clinique, we're, We've, bode, We're, I've, iterating, We'd, we'd, Fox, affordably, you've, They're, Anthropic, that's, Claude, Dana, debugs, Slack Organizations: Amazon, Services, AWS, Deal, Prime, MGM, Savings, Regions, Citadel, Target, Storage Service, Netflix, Disney, Max, Paramount, CIA, . Intelligence, Amazon Freight, Carrier, Amazon Shipping, Foods, Drones, Amazon Pharmacy, Amazon Clinic, Robotics, Nvidia, Ricoh, NatWest, FMs, Meta, Bridgewater Associates, Farber Cancer Institute, Delta Air Lines, Intuit, KT, Lonely, LexisNexis, Netsmart, Pfizer, PGA, Rocket Companies, Siemens, Media, Inc Locations: North America, U.S, Europe, India, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, Middle East, Africa, Malaysia, New Zealand, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Berlin, Hulu, Amdocs, Genomics England, GoDaddy, GenAI

☆ Apple reportedly exploring personal home robots
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple CEO Tim Cook (2nd R) greets customers as he arrives for the release of the Vision Pro headset at the Apple Store in New York City on February 2, 2024. Apple is exploring the development of personal home robots after ditching its electric vehicle project, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. In recent years, the company has also invested heavily in products and services like its Apple Watch and Vision Pro virtual reality headset. The Vision Pro, however, will likely take years to create meaningful revenue. Apple's hardware engineering division and its artificial intelligence and machine learning group are overseeing the work on personal robotics, Bloomberg reported.

Persons: Tim Cook, Read, Leswing, Annie Palmer Organizations: Apple, Bloomberg, Engineers, Group, Apple Watch, Vision, Amazon Locations: New York City

☆ Here's how I prepared for my 15-hour long-haul flight to Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Joi-Marie Mckenzie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Before I share how I survived my 15-hour flight, I have to let you in on my personal Q2 challenge: I'm determined to eat less ultra-processed foods. Now the city has reimagined itself as a tourist destination, with a waterpark, an artificial beach, and a golf course. According to one estimate, Americans actually have about four to six hours of leisure time every day. AdvertisementSee the full listMore of this week's top reads:The Insider Today team: Joi-Marie McKenzie, editor-in-chief, in New York.

Persons: —, you'll, Let's, Greta Gerwig's, Barbie, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Marielle, Marielle Descalsota, Daniel Chaney, Alexa Campbell, Henry Ammann, Alyssa Powell, Beyoncé, Carter, Buckle, Tanner Adell, who's, Javier Zayas, there's, Tyler Le, Ewan McGregor's, Lisa Frankenstein, Zelda Williams, Robin Williams, Joi, Marie McKenzie, Jordan Parker Erb, Dan DeFrancesco, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, Business, Canberra Airport, Getty, Art Basel, BI, Visa, Mastercard —, Mastercard Forest City, Paramount, Netflix Locations: Hong Kong, Australia, Johor, Malaysia's Forest, Forest City, Texas, Moscow, New York

☆ Everything former Nickelodeon stars have said in response to the docuseries 'Quiet on Set'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Olivia Singh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

Former Nickelodeon stars are speaking out after Investigation Discovery's docuseries "Quiet on Set." AdvertisementInvestigation Discovery's docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" has cast a shadow over Nickelodeon's legacy in children's TV. AdvertisementIn the meantime, here's everything former Nickelodeon stars have said since the release of "Quiet on Set." After coming forward about being sexually abused as a teen, Drake Bell called Nickelodeon's response 'empty'Drake Bell in episode two of the Investigation Discovery docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV." Josh Peck said that he contacted his 'Drake & Josh' costar Drake Bell privately to offer his supportJosh Peck and Drake Bell on season four of "Drake & Josh."

Persons: Discovery's, Drake Bell, Alexa Nikolas, —, Dan Schneider, Kate Taylor, Schneider, he'd, Nicole Bristow, Nikolas, Dan, doesn't, it's, Bell, Brian Peck, Sarah Fraser, Nickelodeon's, Peck, Tom DeSanto's, Drake, DeSanto, Josh, Josh Peck, Beth, Rich Correll, Raquel Lee Bolleau, Bolleau, Devon Werkheiser, Lindsey Shaw, Daniel Curtis Lee, Frazer Harrison, costars Lindsey Shaw, Werkheiser, Daniel, Zoey, Jack Salvatore, Mark Del Figgalo, Nickelodeon Salvatore, Sam, Salvatore, Jennette McCurdy, BooG, Bobby Bowman, Nancy Sullivan, Miranda Cosgrove, Jonathan Goldstein, WireImage Sullivan, Audrey Parker, Nichols, Sullivan, Bryan Hearne, Hearne, Tracey Brown, Madisyn Shipman, Shipman, Abby Wilde, Stacey Dillsen, They're, who's, Chris Massey, Michael, …, Massey, Michael Barret, Angel Massey, @chrismasseytmb, DAN, Allie DiMeco, DiMeco, Rosalina, Leon Frierson, Dan Schneider's, Frierson, I'm, Amber Frank, Frank, Kenan Thompson, Christopher Polk, Thompson, Kenan, Kel, I've, that's Organizations: Nickelodeon, Service, Business, YouTube, Eat, Kids, Disney Channel, Entertainment, Getty Locations: Hollywood

☆ 5 Black Country Artists on Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Callie Ahlgrim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Just one week later, it topped the Hot 100, even though some country radio stations initially refused to play it. Many Black artists creating country music have already seen major boosts in streaming numbers. "There are a lot of Black people who love country music, that have been afraid to say that they love country music, even afraid to make country music." Ice breakers: In the six weeks since Beyoncé dropped the two lead singles from "Cowboy Carter," Shaboozey has felt a palpable uptick in attention surrounding Black country artists. Listen to a roundup of key tracks by Black country artists on Business Insider's Spotify.

Persons: Lil Nas, Beyoncé, Carter, It's, she's, Pablo, Don, gatekeepers, Billboard's Kyle Denis, Cowboy Carter, Tanner Adell, Chase Foster, Tanner, Adell, Josh Turner, Shania Twain, Texas, doesn't, Queen Bey, Buckle, Luke Combs, Daniel Prakopcyk, Shaboozey, Collins Chibueze, Southern, Marty Robbins, Woody Guthrie, I've, Kashus Culpepper, Buffalo Kin, Valerie June, Brittany Howard, Breland, Henry Ammann, Nelly, Tim McGraw, Daniel Gerard Breland, Nashville darlings, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, Blanco Brown, Blanco, Brown, Tim McGraw's, he's, He's, Tiera Kennedy, Alexa Campbell, Tiera, Kennedy, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, who've Organizations: Chicks, Business, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo, BI, Nashville, LaFace Records, Buffalo Wild Wings, Spotify Locations: Texas, Houston, Nashville, Kentucky, California, Wyoming, Church, Star Valley , Wyoming, Plano, Beverly, Virginia, America, New Jersey, Atlanta, Butler , Georgia, Alabama

☆ Leaked document shows Amazon expects to save $1.3 billion by slashing office vacancies and terminating leases early
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAmazon expects to save roughly $1.3 billion in coming years by radically reducing office vacancies, according to a person familiar with the matter and an internal document obtained by Business Insider. The company's office-vacancy rate of almost 34% results from slower growth and layoffs, the person familiar told BI. Related storiesIn an email to BI, Brad Glasser, a spokesperson for Amazon, said it's a normal business practice to review the company's real-estate portfolio. AdvertisementThe person familiar with the matter also noted that so-called "hibernations" can help reduce office costs for Amazon. Internally, Amazon is aware of how last year's RTO policy caused confusion and frustration among some employees, people familiar with the plans told BI.

Persons: —, Fitch, Brad Glasser, Glasser, Andy Jassy Organizations: Service, Business, Google, Amazon, Alexa

☆ Sam Altman may have Siri and Alexa in his sights after OpenAI filed a 'digital voice assistant' trademark application
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

OpenAI filed a trademark application for a "voice engine" and to build "digital voice assistants." OpenAI also filed trademark applications in October for future models like GPT-6 and GPT-7. OpenAI has filed a trademark application to build "digital voice assistants" and a "voice engine", which signals that it may be set to release a new product. It also has a general-purpose speech recognition model called Whisper. OpenAI also filed trademark applications for its future models, including GPT-6 and GPT-7 in October.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, —, Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alex, Lex Fridman, Altman, OpenAI's, it's, didn't Organizations: Service, US, Business, GPT

Learn moreAmazon's Big Spring Sale features limited-time discounts on various products, from family apparel to popular tech items, including great headphone deals on several top models from brands we love. Highlights include the Soundcore Life Q30, our pick for the best budget noise-cancelling headphones, which are back down to an all-time low price. You can also get $100 off the high-end Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones or snag a pair of Apple's AirPods Pro for $60 off their full retail price. If you're not sure which pair is right for you, check out our guides to the best noise-cancelling headphones, best wireless earbuds, and best Apple AirPods to learn more. These wireless earbuds offer good sound with active noise cancellation, 11-hour battery life, and Fast Pair for quick, seamless switching between compatible Android devices.

Persons: it's, Anker, Bose Organizations: Business, Sony WH, Price Apple, Amazon Sony WH, WH, Sony, Soundcore Liberty, Liberty, Amazon Bose, Amazon, Wireless

☆ Why the Young and the Single Can’t Commit to Dating Apps
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Gina Cherelus | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Alexa Valavicius is 28, single and off dating apps since 2021. She quit Hinge and Bumble, the only two platforms she was on, when she realized that getting a good read on people was difficult based on their profiles. Although she has never been in a relationship, she doesn’t believe she’s going to meet the love of her life via a screen: “I feel like my ideal partner is someone who is not spending their free time on apps.”Among young singles today, dating-app fatigue is real. The popularity of in-person dating events and the eagerness of some users to take a sabbatical from swiping both point to a shift among members of Gen Z. And that weariness is being felt by the largest dating-app companies, Match Group and Bumble, both of which have reported poor revenue growth and have laid off workers.

Persons: Alexa Valavicius, Ms, Valavicius, Gen Organizations: Match Locations: Chicago

Learn moreAmazon's third-generation Echo Buds are the brand's most budget-friendly headphones yet. Amazon Echo Buds (2023) Amazon's third-generation Echo Buds lack noise cancellation, but they sound solid for the money and include hands-free Alexa support on a budget. And unlike more expensive headphones, the third-gen Echo Buds don't come with active noise cancellation (ANC) to help reduce background sounds that might interfere with your music. Sarah Saril/InsiderDespite their drawbacks, the Echo Buds are still a solid budget choice for users of multiple devices. Sarah Saril/InsiderThe Echo Buds (3rd Gen) aren't for everyone, but they have their appeal.

Persons: Sarah Saril, Alexa, there's, earbuds, Lizzy McAlpine, Alison Wonderland, aren't, that's, Bose Organizations: Business, Alexa, Amazon, Sony, Bose, Samsung, Apple, ANC

☆ Many of the world’s happiest countries are also the best for women, research shows—here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the organization behind the World Happiness Report, uses six factors to score countries' happiness: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity and absence of corruption. The WEF compares countries' gender gaps across four dimensions: economic opportunities; educational attainment; health and survival; and political empowerment. It's no coincidence that the world's happiest countries also champion gender equality socially and economically. How Nordic countries use social policies to promote gender equality and happinessIn its research, the WEF establishes a clear correlation between social policies, families' happiness and women's career advancement. The Nordic countries — Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Norway — have some of the most generous paid leave policies for parents in the world.

Persons: Alexa, Norway's, Linda Akeson McGurk, McGurk Organizations: UN Sustainable Development Solutions, Sweden, Organisation for Economic Co, Development Locations: American, Bergen, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, U.S, Swedish

☆ Idris Elba explains why he doesn’t watch ‘The Wire’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Nell Lewis | Eoin Mcsweeney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Sherbro Island is known for its pristine beaches that are a nesting ground for green sea turtles. The actor was brought up in London, but his mom is from Ghana and his dad from Sierra Leone. Elba: First of all, it’s a beautiful little island off the coast of Sierra Leone. And Sherbro Island used to historically be the point of no return in the slave trade. It was where England had their capital city of Sierra Leone [when it was a colony], in a city called Bonthe, which is still there.

Persons: Idris Elba, Stringer Bell, John Luther, Elba, CNN’s Becky Anderson, It’s, Siaka Stevens, I’ve, CNN's Becky Anderson, Alexa Fogel, they’re, –, ” It’s, Luther, “, I’m Organizations: Abu Dhabi CNN —, Sherbro Alliance Partners, CNN, Sherbro, Partners, CNN CNN Locations: Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi CNN — British, Sierra Leone, Sherbro, Elba, London, Ghana, Chicago, England, Africa, New York, Baltimore, East London, United States, Hollywood, America

☆ My husband and I stopped using voice assistants. We learned to communicate better and have more privacy.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Pooja Shah | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . At first, it felt like a family member was missingInitially, it felt like a family member was missing. We increased communication with each otherSlowly, the transition without voice assistants became easier. AdvertisementWe stopped being lazy with basic tasksThe loss of voice assistants has also been better for our health. With so many of our devices previously connected to our voice assistants, we would bark commands across the room.

Persons: —, Alexa Organizations: Service, Google, Netflix, Arsenal, Premier League statistics, Alexa Locations: New York City, London, New York, Midtown

Vizio would no doubt love to reclaim its spot, but the brand's new Quantum Pro 4K QLED TV (VQP65C-84) won't get it there. The Quantum Pro has its advantages, including impressive off-axis viewing and competitive gaming and motion response via its 120Hz panel. Vizio 65-inch Quantum Pro QLED 4K TV Vizio's Quantum Pro is a solid midrange 4K QLED TV with impressive viewing angles for its class. Ryan Waniata/Business InsiderMoving the Quantum Pro from the box to your TV console is relatively simple. Ryan Waniata/Business InsiderGaming with the Quantum Pro is mostly a good time, especially for brighter titles like "God of War: Ragnarok."

Persons: Vizio, Hisense, it's, Ryan Waniata, U7K, Harry Potter, there's, that's, There's, isn't Organizations: Business, Google, Quantum, Shop, Walmart, Dolby, Samsung, Sony, SmartCast, Alexa

☆ Amazon's secret war on Android: The company has a plan to cure Alexa's addiction to Google's operating system.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Amazon's Alexa division is cutting costs across the board, having laid off thousands of employees and reshuffled projects over the past 18 months. Vega is a "new portable operating system for consumer electronics developed by Amazon," the document explained. Tech newsletter Lowpass previously reported on some parts of the new Vega OS. Feature parity gapThe feature parity gap between Amazon's own Alexa devices and third-party voice-assistants using Alexa has long been a problem, both internally and externally, according to the people familiar. Not off Android entirelyWith the new Vega OS, Amazon is reducing its reliance on the Android-based Fire OS.

Persons: Panos Panay, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Vega, Dave Limp, Alexa, It's Organizations: Alexa, Business, Software, BI, Amazon, Amazon's, Tech, Google, Blue, Washington Post, Vega

☆ It's a presidential rematch, but the biggest talking points will be a lot different this time around
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Former President Donald Trump has all but secured a rematch with President Joe Biden in November's election after a dominating performance on Super Tuesday. These days, the biggest themes heading into the election range from the personal lives of both candidates to major geopolitical issues. Trump's vice president: Trump's running mate remains a question mark, with plenty of options . Swift backed Biden in 2020 but didn't endorse either candidate when she told her fans to vote on Super Tuesday .

Persons: —, Nikki Haley, that's, we've, Chip Somodevilla, Scott Eisen, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump, Brendan Smialowski, he's, Daniels, Trump's, Sen, Tim Scott of, Vivek Ramaswamy, Kristi Noem, Taylor, Swift, Robert Alexander, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Alyssa Powell, Elon Musk, Musk, execs, Roy Rochlin, Bob Iger, It's, Campbell, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, George Glover Organizations: Service, Street, Business, Democratic, Trump, NFL, Getty, Musk, Microsoft, Disney, Apple, Vision, Campbell Soup Company Locations: Vermont, Tim Scott of South Carolina, South Dakota, Gaza, Ukraine, Washington, China, Trump, New York, London

☆ I loved my name — until Amazon ruined it
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Alexa Nizam | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

That's until Amazon created Alexa, the ubiquitous little device that took the world by storm in 2015. That cultural moment was the peak of my torment: I couldn't introduce myself to anyone without having a dreaded Amazon moment. In almost every meeting, there would be a one-minute distraction for us to listen to Alexa say, "I'm sorry, I'm having trouble understanding right now…" while everyone snickered to themselves and waited for her to finish. If anything, being able to say "Alexa, like the Amazon robot" makes it more memorable when I meet new people. The most ironic part is that the Amazon device can actually be named something else.

Persons: Rebecca, I've, I'm, snickered, It's, Alexis, Alexia, Alex, Amazon, Apple, Siri Organizations: Service, Amazon, Business, Alexa, Google Locations: Texas, Los Angeles, Cali

☆ How Contemporary Artists Are Taking Papier-Mâché Out of the Classroom
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Alexa Brazilian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The artist Joel Hernandez, 39, first worked with papier-mâché as an 8-year-old, soon after moving from Mexico to rural Indiana. His parents had gone looking for piñatas — a staple of their family celebrations — at local stores but had come up short. Hernandez, now based in San Francisco, is just one of the contemporary craftspeople using papier-mâché in new and provocative ways. And while each has a different approach to the medium, they share an appreciation for its democratic and economic nature. Making papier-mâché, after all, requires nothing more than a few pantry items, some trash and a bit of imagination.

Persons: Joel Hernandez, ”, Hernandez, La Luz de Jesus, Han, it’s, Bernie Kaminski, Brooks, “, ” Kaminski, who’s, he’s Organizations: La Luz, Mardi Gras, New Locations: Mexico, Indiana, —, La Luz de, Los Angeles, San Francisco, China, New Orleans, New York City

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