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☆ Copilot dreams and nightmares: Microsoft insiders share what they really think about the company's AI future.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

"Customers trust Microsoft more than OpenAI since they already buy Microsoft's ecosystem," a Microsoft AI researcher told BI. "Almost everyone I know is working on Copilot to a certain extent," the Microsoft AI researcher told BI. "It's too premature to assume this is going to be a race to the bottom on price," another Microsoft executive said. Some Microsoft employees work so closely with OpenAI that they have badges to get into OpenAI's offices, and some OpenAI employees can badge into Microsoft locations. Mistral models will be offered to Microsoft customers along with about 1,600 other models including Cohere and Meta's Llama.

Persons: there's, Morgan Stanley, Satya Nadella, they've, they're, Frank Shaw, Shaw, That's, OpenAI, JPMorgan Chase, It's, Dentsu, Shiva Vannavada, Vannavada, Eric Boyd, Scott, John Montgomery, Asha Sharma, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Microsoft, Business, Enterprise, Walmart, JPMorgan, BI, Google, Dentsu, Product, Technology, Employees, Nvidia, DA Davidson, AI Services, AI Bot, OpenAI Locations: OpenAI, Mistral

☆ Instacart to lay off 250 employees, or about 7% of the company, as part of restructuring
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Instacart on Tuesday announced it would lay off about 250 employees, or roughly 7% of the company, as part of a restructuring. The news came as the company reported fourth-quarter earnings that fell roughly in line with analysts' revenue estimates. Three top executives are also departing the company for personal reasons, according to Instacart: Chief Operating Officer Asha Sharma, Chief Technology Officer Varouj Chitilian and chief architect JJ Zhuang. The company posted fourth-quarter revenue of $803 million, roughly in line with the $804 million that Wall Street expected, according to analyst estimates from LSEG, formerly known as Refinitiv. In September, Instacart went public in one of the first significant venture-backed tech IPOs since December 2021.

Persons: Instacart, Asha Sharma, Varouj Chitilian, JJ Zhuang Organizations: Google, CNBC PRO Locations: LSEG

☆ Outside the US, teens’ social media experiences are more tightly controlled
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Here’s a closer look at how child safety is regulated on social media platforms in other parts of the world. “It will take a couple of years until the first round of the audits of social media companies mandated in the DSA are published,” he said. Can social media companies be sued in the EU? At the same time, however, China’s government also largely blocks access to social media platforms as part of its efforts to monitor and censor the internet. And in Brazil, a data protection law includes special protections for children’s data, including consent to share personal data.

Persons: Here’s, Apple –, what’s, haven’t, Fernando Hortal Foronda, ”, “, Asha Allen, Brian Fung, Clare Duffy Organizations: CNN, European, Meta, Apple, Digital Services, Companies, Big Tech, EU, European Consumer Organisation, DSA, ” Tech, European Commission, EU’s Digital Service, Centre of Democracy and Technology, Justice, European Union, Minor Protection Locations: EU, Centre of Democracy and Technology Europe, China, India, Brazil

☆ While Black Friday and Cyber Monday did good, Giving Tuesday lagged
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Sergio Padilla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Americans seemed more willing to spend money on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but less willing to donate money on Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday’s decline in participation is not an isolated incident, but rather, as its organization acknowledges, part of larger trends philanthropic organizations are experiencing. According to a report by Giving USA from this past June, Americans are giving the lowest percentage of their disposable income since 1995. Americans gave just 1.7% of their disposable income in 2022, with charitable giving declining from 2021 by 3.4% to $499.3 billion, which represents an even larger decline of 10.5% when adjusted for inflation. “I think the numbers are very interesting in terms of Black Friday and Cyber Monday but they don’t tell you the whole picture,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail.

Persons: “, ”, Asha Curran, Ebenezer Scrooge, Neil Saunders, ” Saunders, CNN’s Nathaniel Meyersohn, Elisabeth Buchwald Organizations: New, New York CNN, Black, CNN, GivingTuesday, United Nations Foundation, National Retail Federation, Adobe, Federal, GlobalData, Adobe Analytics, Charities Aid Locations: New York, New York City

☆ ‘Wish’ review: Disney tries to thaw out its ‘Frozen’ magic with Ariana DeBose
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —More than 70 years after Disney had a cricket sing about wishing upon a star, “Wish” picks up that theme, in an animated movie that desperately wants to thaw out some of the studio’s “Frozen” magic. Hailing from members of that movie’s creative team, “Wish” doesn’t quite reach the stars, but it does shine intermittently while introducing another plucky teenage female heroine, gamely voiced by Ariana DeBose. The movie does however celebrate the power of wishes, and in the process, decades of Disney history. By that measure, “Wish” mostly delivers – a credible addition to Disney’s long filmography, even if it’s not exactly a dream come true. “Wish” will offer early-access screenings on November 18 and open wide in US theaters on November 22.

Persons: ”, gamely, Ariana DeBose, Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, Bruno, Asha, –, King Magnifico, Chris Pine, Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn, “ Raya, Jennifer Lee, Allison Moore, “, Alan Tudyk’s, Valentino, it’s, Indiana Jones Organizations: CNN, Disney, “ Locations: Rosas, “, Magnifico

☆ ‘Wish’ Review: The Sorcerer’s Disgruntled Apprentice
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Amy Nicholson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Until Asha flubs a job interview with Magnifico and realizes his flaw. The solution is the same as in every Disney cartoon: our heroine runs up a hill, hair swinging, and belts a ballad about longing. Oddly — and rather fascinatingly — this is a film about a spiritual revolution. Can Asha, a humanist, convince the islanders to reject the man in the embroidered robe who preaches that he alone is a conduit for miracles? “You’d think they’d all be content.”WishRated PG for neon-green depictions of black magic.

Persons: Asha flubs, Magnifico, Natasha Rothwell, Victor Garber, —, cribbed, Alan Tudyk, Asha, I’m, Benjamin Rice, Julia Michaels, “ Organizations: Disney Locations: E.T

☆ Disney used to own the Thanksgiving box office. 'Wish' is trying to win it back
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

However, in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the box office has struggled to regain its foothold on the Thanksgiving holiday. "Thanksgiving films in this movie marketplace must rely more heavily on December moviegoing to determine their ultimate box office fate." Box office analysts often disregard 2020's $21.4 million Thanksgiving haul, as few theaters were open and there were few films to watch. Not to mention, box office expectations have not been particularly accurate this year. Trouble in the Magic Kingdom"Wish" has a lot riding on its opening weekend, as Disney looks to rebound from a slew of box office letdowns.

Persons: Ariana DeBose, Asha, Paul Dergarabedian, moviegoing, Ralph, Coco, TriStar's Eli Roth, Napoleon, Taylor, Shawn Robbins, Mario Organizations: Disney, BoxOffice.com, Mario Bros, Sony

REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni Acquire Licensing RightsLOS ANGELES, Nov 20 (Reuters) - "Wish," the new animated musical movie marking Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) 100th anniversary, reaches back to its modest beginnings to inspire future generations. Walt Disney Studios was founded in 1923 in Hollywood, California, by brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney, making it the world's oldest running animation studio. Disney movies are usually based on classic fairy or folk tales, mixing romance, humor, sadness, high-stakes action and self-discovery. "Not just to wish, but usually sing to their heart's desire, and so I think it's important to this movie obviously. I think it will be important to many Disney movies in the future too."

Persons: Ariana DeBose, Asha, Chris Pine, Roy, Mario Anzuoni, Walt Disney, Walt, Jennifer Lee, Lee, King Magnifico, Roy O, Danielle Broadway, Rollo Ross, Mary Milliken, Richard Chang Organizations: Disney Animation, REUTERS, Walt Disney Co's, Walt Disney Animation, Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Thomson Locations: Burbank , California, U.S, Kingdom of Rosas, Hollywood , California

☆ Lizzo preaches self-love and acceptance. But backstage, her team was mocked and bullied, designer says in a new lawsuit.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Diana Dasrath | Tim Stelloh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Daniels was fired after she complained about Nomura, according to the suit. Nomura told Daniels never to interact with Lizzo or to dress attractively in front of her because it may make Lizzo jealous, the suit said. Alleged slurs, threats and offensive impressionsNomura allegedly mocked Lizzo and her dancers with what the lawsuit described as a "stereotypical sassy Black woman imitation." After Daniels complained to Gugliotta, Lizzo's tour manager, she allegedly asked Daniels to surreptitiously record Nomura, according to the suit. Daniels declined, believing it would be unethical and possibly illegal, and continued to work for Lizzo, according to the suit.

Persons: Lizzo, Asha Daniels, Daniels, Amanda Nomura, Nomura, Ron Zambrano, Zambrano, it's, Melissa Viviane Jefferson, Carlina Gugliotta, Gugliotta, Quincy, she's Organizations: Ball, NBC, Superior Court, Big, Touring Inc, NBC News, Black, Lizzo Locations: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, New York City, Taylor, Los Angeles

☆ Why waiting for A.I. laws, regulations from government could be a catastrophic mistake
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Mikaela Cohen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, parent company of ChatGPT, warns AI poses risk of human extinction, and Geoffrey Hinton, known as the "godfather of AI," cautions that AI can bring a dangerous future. These AI leaders and others support intervention from the federal government and other industry leaders before AI proliferates throughout society. With rapid growth, Palmer said companies of all sizes need to track AI efforts and disclose the information publicly. After a company has established metrics for tracking AI, or even while it's figuring that out, companies need to do a risk assessment for AI, Palmer said. "Within most companies, AI doesn't have an owner," Palmer said.

Persons: Sam Altman, Geoffrey Hinton, Altman, Asha Palmer, Palmer, Genies, Akash Nigam, Nigam, we've, ChatGPT, François, Candelon, Let's Organizations: OpenAI, CNBC, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Organization for Economic Cooperation, IT, Boston Consulting Group's Henderson Institute Locations: Washington , DC, OpenAI, Japan

New Delhi CNN —From butter chicken to paneer makhani, Indian cuisine is unthinkable without the ubiquitous tomato. Asha, a homemaker in the capital who asked to be referred to only by her first name, told CNN the increase has hit her seven-member family hard. Some of McDonald’s (MCD) restaurants across the country have temporarily stopped serving tomatoes on their burgers, citing quality issues and shortages of supply. Of the tomatoes that were harvested, over 90% were infected by seed-born viruses, Gadve told CNN, which further exacerbated the supply shortage. Devinder Sharma, an India-based agriculture policy expert, told CNN the current shortage was also caused in part by farmers throwing away their tomatoes because no one was buying them.

Persons: Asha, “, Raghav Chadha, ” Chadha, Jocelyn Boiteau, Boiteau, Sriram Gadve, ”, Gadve, Devinder Sharma, Sharma, ” Gadve Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Department of Consumer Affairs, CNN, Connaught, Restaurants, Aam Aadmi Party, Twitter, Tata, Cornell Institute for Agriculture, Nutrition, University of Cambridge, Vegetable Growers Association Locations: New Delhi, India, Asia, heatwaves, India’s

Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Not everyone with debt would have been covered under the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan. The Supreme Court has barred the Biden administration from carrying out its plan to extinguish up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt, and millions of borrowers will continue to struggle under the weight of their loans. Ms. Schmidt owes $64,000 in student debt, more than half of which is for her graduate work in nursing. But she’s already contemplating how she’ll finance her dream of becoming a civil rights lawyer, which typically requires an additional six figures in student debt. Yet her mother is still paying down student debt of her own.

Persons: Biden, Gina McDavitt, weren’t, Pell, “, ”, McDavitt, ” Ms, Ms, Monica Schmidt, Schmidt, Kevin Serna, Dorien Rogers, Rogers, Asha Anthony, she’s, —, Anthony, Mr, don’t, Joanna Leiserson, Brian Kaiser, “ I’m, Leiserson Organizations: Georgetown University, Biden, College of San, San Francisco State University, The New York Times, University of Phoenix, Northern Illinois University, Public, Schaun, Tax, Howard University, Salisbury University, The New York, Republicans Locations: Washington ,, College of San Mateo, Bay, Vallejo , Calif, Genoa, Ill, Germantown, Md, Credit, Montgomery County, Mesa, Maryland, Spokane, —, forbearance

☆ How generative A.I. and ChatGPT will influence jobs at all professional levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Mikaela Cohen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A new C-suite role of chief AI officer is comingAsha Palmer, senior vice president of compliance solutions at digital learning platform Skillsoft, says every C-suite has executives who oversee privacy and data, so AI could prompt the creation of a chief AI officer and entire departments overseeing AI security. As AI takes off, a chief AI officer will be a key decision maker over tech priorities that filter down through the organization. Companies need to take precaution and set up guardrails to oversee AI use, Palmer said, and that starts with training employees on how to use chatbots and generative AI. "For companies using or buying AI, they should ask AI companies what their transparency metrics are, how often they audit and check these, and ask them to make this information public facing." Office workers face a challenge, but it is the roles in middle management, specifically, he said, "where it's ambiguous how AI will impact them."

☆ Women living in states with abortion bans suffer greater economic insecurity
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Women living in states that restrict or ban abortion face greater economic insecurity than those living in states where they have access, new research finds. “In many of these states, especially the states which have banned abortion, many of the women who are facing economic challenges already are also women of color,” she said. Raising the minimum wage is a powerful tool that has been known to have significant impact on closing racial income gaps. But nearly two-thirds of abortion restrictive states have a $7.25 minimum wage, the lowest legal hourly wage for most workers in the United States. The average minimum wage across the 26 states is $8.17, lower than the average $11.92 for states with no restrictions.

"It's not just me and my children, future generations from our community in Jammu and Kashmir will vote for the BJP." A BJP victory in the disputed region could consolidate India's claim over the territory on the global stage. "We have taken a pledge to cross 50-plus seats to form the next government with a thumping majority," the BJP's president for Jammu and Kashmir, Ravinder Raina, told Reuters. Jammu has about 5.3 million inhabitants, 62% of whom are Hindu while Kashmir Valley has 6.7 million, 97% of them Muslim, according to a 2011 census. Previously unreported official records show just over 5.3 million certificates had been issued as of September.

☆ Trials, pardons, prison time: How Trump's legal woes could play out and what it means for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The warrant also indicated that the Justice Department was investigating whether Trump violated three federal laws, including the Espionage Act, related to the handling of national security information. Here are some possibilities:The investigations conclude with no charges filedIn the US's 250-year history, no ex-commander in chief has ever faced criminal charges. In all, the former president, if convicted, would be facing up to 33 years of incarceration, according to legal experts. That begs the question: If Trump is charged, convicted, and winds up in prison, can he still run for president in 2024? He made headlines during his presidency for wondering why he couldn't have "my guys" at the "Trump Justice Department" do his bidding.

☆ Dutch pension giant ABP set to sell laggards as sharpens climate focus
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The new policy could halve the number of companies in ABP's portfolio, investment director Dominique Dijkhuis told Dutch financial daily FD in an interview published on Friday. Dijkhuis did not specify which companies would no longer be eligible for ABP, nor how long the overhaul would take. ABP said last year it would divest 15 billion euros of fossil fuel investments, which marked a major turnaround as only months before, it had said exiting fossil fuel investments would "not be the solution" to global warming. Dijkhuis said ABP would demand that companies commit to being climate neutral by 2050, and would also set progressively strict interim goals. The financial sector will not be excluded from this policy, as it will have to target loans into sustainable investments, Dijkhuis added.

☆ Whales can have an important but overlooked role in tackling the climate crisis, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Much like the ocean, soil and forests, whales can help save humanity from the accelerating climate crisis by sequestering and storing planet-heating carbon emissions, researchers say. In a paper published Thursday in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, climate researchers suggest that whales are important, but often overlooked, carbon sinks. As the need grows for nature-based solutions such as tree planting to help solve the climate crisis, Pearson said it is important to understand the ability of whales to trap carbon. “You can think of protecting whales as a low risk and low regret strategy, because there’s really no downside,” Pearson told CNN. But there remain big gaps in knowledge to fully determine how whale carbon should be used in climate mitigation policies.

COLOMBO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's central bank is expected to keep rates steady as inflation shows signs of easing and as authorities focus on discussions to secure a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout to stabilise its crisis-hit economy. If global economic stress starts to ease and if Sri Lanka secures an IMF deal before next March we can expect rate cuts in mid-2023," said Visaahan Arumainayagam, analyst for Colombo-based brokering firm Asha Securities. After hitting an annual peak of 68.9% in September with food inflation climbing to 93.7%, consumer inflation moderated slightly to 66% in October. read moreAn acute dollar shortage has left Sri Lanka struggling to pay for essential imports of food, fuel and medicine, with all eyes on the IMF bailout to try and stabilise the nation's perilous debt situation and finances. "Sri Lanka is in need of some deep economic reforms which are politically challenging, overcoming this will be difficult."

☆ Effects of Supreme Court abortion ruling: Longer travel time, more requests for pills
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Infants born as a result of an unintended pregnancy, meanwhile, face a higher risk of low birth weight or preterm birth. Ashana's article asserts that every hour of delayed care increases a patient’s risk of adverse outcomes or death. But in some cases, abortion restrictions require waiting until a person is hemorrhaging or develops sepsis before performing a lifesaving abortion. Hassan said medication abortion presents "a lot of opportunity to be able to expand into places that are geographically difficult for people to access abortion." "There are a lot of things within the health care system environment that could change, including the way we think about where abortion care can be accessed," Hassan said.

☆ Here are the best ways to convince your boss to let you work from home forever
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

For the past two years, remote work has been in a state of will they or won't they. We asked Greenberg and other career experts about the best ways to convince your boss to let you work remotely. Make a strong business caseConvincing your boss to let you work remotely is like convincing them of anything else. "Oftentimes you're more productive and effective when you're working remotely because you're better able to focus," Reynolds said. Pitch remote work as an experimentLet your boss know you're willing to reevaluate and adjust your work circumstances as necessary.

☆ After UK turmoil, Dutch central bank urges pension funds to review liquidity
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMSTERDAM, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The Dutch central bank (DNB) said on Wednesday it had called on pension funds in the Netherlands to review their readiness to weather a sudden spike in interest rates, following turmoil among British funds. A spokesperson for the bank confirmed a Financial Times report that said the funds had been asked to review their holdings of liquid assets. Dutch pension funds make less use of interest rate hedges than their British peers and benefit from the larger and more liquid eurozone government bond market. "When a rise in interest rates happens gradually, there is no liquidity risk" it said, though it noted that a liquidity crisis was still possible. Jan Mark van Mill, head of Treasury and Trading at fund manager APG, says his organization conducts monthly liquidity stress tests.

☆ Thanks to a new rule, you can now save thousands buying over-the-counter hearing aids at stores like Walmart, Best Buy, or CVS
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The FDA estimates that the OTC hearing aids can lower the average cost of a pair of hearing aids by $3,000. Not all private healthcare plans pay for exams for hearing aids, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and Medicare doesn't cover hearing aids or hearing-aid fittings. Creed said it's important that people know OTC hearing aids are not replacing prescription hearing aids, and they don't minimize the importance of working with an audiologist or medical professional to get hearing aids. WalmartBest Buy will have around 20 different kinds of hearing aids online this week, and will sell hearing aids in around 300 stores by the end of October. If the company were to eventually sell AirPods as hearing aids, they would likely be less expensive than a pair of traditional hearing aids and break stigmas around wearing hearing aids, Dr. Nicholas Reed, an audiologist at Johns Hopkins told the WSJ last year.

☆ O nouă specie de balene albastre, descoperită în Oceanul Indian
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-28 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +2 min

O lucrare publicată în revista Endangered Species Research și citată de New York Times susține că aceste balene albastre au propriul cod de sunete: lent, suflat, distinct de orice alt sunet specific balenelor, scrie Biziday. “Această descoperire ne reamintește că mare parte din oceanele noastre este încă neexplorată”, spune Asha de Vos, un biolog marin care a studiat balenele albastre din Oceanul Indian. După ce au auzit zgomotele balenelor albastre printr-un recorder, cercetătorii au observat că acestea sunt diferite și au decis să exploreze mai mult. Este nevoie de aprofundarea studiilor pentru o comparație elaborată a limbajului balenelor, dar acestea își petrec cea mai mare parte a vieții departe de țărm, fiind dificil de studiat. Vânătoarea de balene din secolele al XIX-lea și al XX-lea a dus la dispariția a sute de mii de exemplare, iar acum se estimează că au rămas între 10.000 și 25.000 de balene albastre.

Persons: - lea Organizations: New York Times Locations: New York, Indian, Madagascarului

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