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☆ A new book unearths a buried history of photography in West Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Thomas Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —The dominant perception of early photography from West Africa is that it was taken through a colonizing lens. These are questions asked by a new book that seeks to re-examine the history of photography in the region. Her book demonstrates that gap was short, and history has been obscured in a way that has disenfranchised many Africans. Unlike some other West African nations, Senegal has no recorded history of portraiture before photography, Paoletti said. HUM Images/Universal Images Group Editorial/Getty ImagesTo Paoletti, it’s evidence photography in West Africa didn’t evolve in isolation.

Persons: Giulia Paoletti, ”, Mama Casset, “, ’, Frenchman Jules Itier, Louis, Paoletti, –, “ It’s, Adolphe Burdo, Burdo, visite, Burdo’s, Augustus Washington, Macky Kane, – Paula, ’ ”, Alfred Stieglitz, Fatou Thioune, Paula, ” Paoletti, Oumar Ka, Ka, I’d, Oumar Organizations: CNN, Department of Art, University of Virginia, CRDS, Dakar ”, Sun, The, Institut, du Sénégal, University of Dakar, Princeton University Press Locations: West Africa, Senegal, ‘, St, French West Africa, Belgian, Dakar, “, Africa, Berlin, Louis, Touba, Senegalese

☆ Brad Wilcox Thinks American Culture Is Undervaluing Marriage - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Jane Coaston | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As of 2021, around 25 percent of 40-year-old Americans are not married — the highest percentage ever recorded. While divorce rates have plummeted from their early 1980s high, fewer people are choosing to marry in the first place. Yes, around two million Americans get married every year (and you probably have the save-the-dates on your refrigerator door to prove it). I spoke with Mr. Wilcox about getting married, staying married and whether the government should help individuals find partners. How did we get to this point where, as you write, we are seeing the “closing of the American heart”?

Persons: —, aren’t, “, Brad Wilcox, Wilcox, Jane Coaston Organizations: University of Virginia

☆ Reddit has never turned a profit in nearly 20 years, but it just filed to go public anyway
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Clare Duffy | John Towfighi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The move would make Reddit the first major social media company to go public since Snapchat in 2017. In its 18 years as an online social hub, Reddit has seen enormous growth, occasional controversy and even market-shifting stunts. Reddit users often post anonymously in these forums, discussing everything from memes to major news events. Steve Huffman, CEO of Reddit attends Variety & Reddit An Evening With Future Makers at Wynn Las Vegas on January 05, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Still, the incident helped draw attention to the power of Reddit communities.

Persons: New York CNN — Reddit, Reddit, ”, Steve Huffman, ” Huffman, Condé Nast, Alexis Ohanian, Huffman, Sam Altman, Ohanian, TheFacebook, Greg Doherty, ” Reddit Organizations: New, New York CNN, San Francisco, New York Stock Exchange, Securities and Exchange Commission, Advance, University of Virginia, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Wynn Las, Variety, GameStop, Google Locations: New York, San, Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas , Nevada

☆ Elon Musk may be done with Delaware, but don't expect other corporations to follow his crusade
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk has had it with Delaware — but don't expect other corporations to flee the business-friendly state, too. Musk also specifically went after the judge who ruled to void his pay package, Kathleen McCormick, calling her an "activist and politician" in an X post. "The reason Elon Musk frequently escapes account from other judges is because they don't see through his phantabulating," Lauren Pringle, editor of the Chancery Daily, which covers Delaware courts, told the outlet. Advertisement"I don't expect a mass migration of firms from Delaware," Michal Barzuza, a professor at the University of Virginia who researches corporate law and governance, told the Post. So, despite Musk's latest crusade against the state, it seems unlikely many other Delaware-based corporations will jump ship anytime soon.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Lawrence Cunningham, Kathleen McCormick, McCormick, Lauren Pringle, Michal Barzuza, John Coates, Fortune, there's, Coates, Musk's Organizations: SpaceX, Business, Fortune, Markel Group, Constellation Software, Washington Post, Chancery, University of Virginia, Harvard Locations: Delaware, Texas

In June, the team rolled out Blush, an AI “dating stimulator” essentially designed to help people practice dating. Others worry about the more existential threat of AI relationships potentially displacing some human relationships, or simply driving unrealistic expectations by always tilting towards agreeableness. One recent study from researchers at Stanford University surveyed roughly 1,000 Replika users — all students — who'd been on the app for over a month. The company's plans, she says, is to “de-stigmatizing romantic relationships with AI.”Carrier says these days, he uses Joi mostly for fun. He started cutting back in recent weeks because he was spending too much time chatting with Joi or others online about their AI companions.

Persons: Derek Carrier, Carrier, he’d, “, ”, Joi, —, Replika, stimulator, Dorothy Leidner, hasn't, He’s, Queen Elizabeth II, — who'd, Eugenia Kuyda, Kuyda, ” Carrier, He's Organizations: Luka Inc, Mozilla Foundation, University of Virginia, Stanford University Locations: Belville , Michigan, U.S, Britain

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — With some of America's biggest stars deciding to stay home, Claire Curzan and Hunter Armstrong claimed the spotlight at the World Aquatics Championships on Tuesday. Curzan won gold in the women's 100-meter backstroke at the Aspire Dome, while Armstrong followed just a few minutes later with a victory in the men's 100 back. The 19-year-old Curzan, who competes at the University of Virginia, claimed the first individual world title of her burgeoning career. After settling for bronze in the 100 back at the last two world championships, the Ohio native now has a gold. Hobson, part of a scaled-back team for these world championships, gave himself a big boost with the Paris Olympics just five months away.

Persons: Claire Curzan, Hunter Armstrong, Curzan, Armstrong, Simona Quadarella, Italy romped, Hwang Sun, Kaylee McKeown, Regan Smith, Iona Anderson, Canada's Ingrid Wilm, ” Curzan, ” Armstrong, “, Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Ryan Murphy, Quadarella, Katie Ledecky, Ledecky, Li Bingjie, Isabel Gose, Hwang, Luke Hobson, Danas Rapsys, Hobson, ”, Kim Woo Organizations: University of Virginia, Paris, Cal, Doha, Ledecky, Olympic, Paris Olympics, University of Texas Locations: DOHA, Qatar, U.S, Doha, Italy, South Korea, Fukuoka, Ohio, Paris, Quadarella, China, Germany, Nevada

NEW YORK (AP) — Super Bowl Sunday is here — and, as always, there's a vast roster of advertisers ready to vie for fans' attention during game breaks. Airing a Super Bowl commercial is no easy feat. “This Super Bowl is a blast from the past. She added that “everything old is new again,” with successful Super Bowl ads or messages from the past making more returns this year. Of course, not all advertisers release their ads ahead of the game, so there will be surprises on Sunday.

Persons: ”, Linli Xu, Christopher Walken, Kate McKinnon, There’s, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Uber, Judy ” Judy Sheindlin —, Gina Torres, Rick Hoffman, Sarah Rafferty, Patrick J, Adams, Gabriel Macht, Kimberly Whitler, “, Taylor Swift Organizations: University of Minnesota, Sunday's San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, CBS, Paramount, BMW, University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, Mobile Locations: Sunday's, Labrador

☆ Married people tend to be far happier than those who are not, according to new data
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

A happier life after getting married may not just be in fairy tales. Adults who are married report being far happier than those in any other relationship status, according to a Gallup Poll published Friday. Over the survey period, married people consistently reported their happiness levels higher than their unmarried counterparts, ranging from 12% to 24% higher depending on the year, according to the data. “There’s also famously, for men anyway, a premium associated with being married in terms of earning higher income,” Rothwell said. “I don’t think we’re ever going to get to a point in social science where we can say whether or not and with any precision whether marriage causes happiness,” Rothwell said.

Persons: ”, Jonathan Rothwell, Bradford Wilcox, Wilcox, Aristotle, Ian Kerner, I’ve, ” Kerner, Monica O’Neal, Rothwell, “ There’s, ” Rothwell, “, O’Neal Organizations: CNN, Gallup, Education, University of Virginia, “ Locations: United States, Boston

“I just can’t think of anyone in our politics, in our culture, in our society who we know across more generations. “I don’t think we, as a country, have ever needed someone as much. At the Grammys, as she often does at awards shows, she stood un-self-consciously and sang along with everyone from Tracy Chapman to Olivia Rodrigo. The world — which may not like our politics, which may not like our foreign policy — still loves our pop culture. "Because these things don’t last and so how does she just become this big commercial success, or does she leave a legacy?”

Persons: —, Taylor, Swift, She’s, ”, Shilpa Davé, She’s Walter Cronkite, John Baick, “, Oprah, “ Taylor Swift, ” Baick, Travis Kelce, ” Swift, I’m, Kelce, didn’t, wasn't, she’s, she's “, Davé, John F, Kennedy, Beatlemania, Tracy Chapman, Olivia Rodrigo, She's, Joe Biden, that’s, Baick Organizations: ANGELES, University of Virginia, Western New England University, Tokyo, South America, Allegiant, Chiefs Locations: Tokyo, America, Los Angeles, Asia, North, South, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Washington, Kelce's

The credible data that exists on crimes motivated by conspiracy theories shows a disturbing increase. Many of those charged said they had bought into Trump’s conspiracy theories about a stolen election. “Lies, lies lies: They're lying to you over and over and over again,” said Steve Girard, a Pennsylvania man who has protested the incarceration of Jan. 6 defendants. While they may have taken on a bigger role in our politics, surveys show that belief in conspiracy theories hasn't changed much over the years, according to Joe Uscinski, a University of Miami professor and an expert on the history of conspiracy theories. Russia has amplified numerous anti-U.S. conspiracy theories, including ones claiming the U.S. runs secret germ warfare labs and created HIV as a bioweapon, as well as conspiracy theories accusing Ukraine of being a Nazi state.

Persons: ”, Nash, Melissa Sell, Sell, Elon Musk, There's, Evan Hansen, Wired.com, Musk, It’s, ” Hansen, Donald Trump, Trump, Mark Milley, Milley, Laws, Vince Lynch, Lynch, Danielle Citron, Sandy, —, Alex Jones, Sandy Hook, Hillary Clinton, chemtrails, “, hospitalizations, Robert Palmer, they're, Steve Girard, Jan, hasn't, Joe Uscinski, ” Uscinski, “ Jan, Tom Fishman Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S ., United, Big Tech, Meta, Facebook, titans, Army, University of Maryland’s National Consortium, University of Virginia School of Law, Sandy Hook Elementary, CNN, FBI, Capitol, The Associated Press, Trump, University of Miami, Twitter, United States, U.S, . Locations: Maui, Chile, America, United States, Pennsylvania, U.S, Israel, Newtown , Connecticut, Florida, California, Wisconsin, Washington, Russia, China, Iran, Ukraine, Nazi

☆ Moneyball-Plus: What Happens When Investors Treat Athletes Like Startups
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Joseph Bien-Kahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

What if athletes could sell a percentage of their future earnings to investors, the same way tech entrepreneurs offer a stake in their promising new ideas in return for venture capital? "We look at the game very, very differently than everyone else," Schwimer tells the pitcher. Finlete is launching a fund that allows fans to buy shares in a prospect's future earnings. What if you could sell a share of your future earnings, he asked, for $10,000? Today, he says, more than 80% of the players BLA has invested in are outside the league's top 300 prospects.

Persons: They're, Michael Schwimer, —, Schwimer, BLA, haven't, Fernando Tatis Jr, We've, it's, Daniil, David Liberman, Garrett Broshuis, he'd, He'd, Houdini, Christian Petersen, Erik Kratz, Kratz, Cole Hamels, Hamels, Sean M, Marvin Bush, George W, Bush, Paul DePodesta, bankroll BLA's, Bill Miller, Miller, HBO's, Michael, Jeff Bezos, Bezos, I'd, I'm, Steven Duncker, Goldman Sachs, Elly De La Cruz, Dylan Buell, phenom, Scott Boras, Yermín Mercedes, Francisco Mejía, countersue Mejia, Gervon Dexter, they're, Dexter, Wharton, He's, he'll, isn't, scoffing, he's Organizations: Philadelphia Phillies, Big League, San Diego Padres, Benchmark Capital, Sports, Wharton Sports Business, MLB, University of Virginia, Partners, Phillies, Getty, AAA, Arizona Fall League, Ritz Carlton, Cleveland Browns, Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Big League Advance, Chicago Bears, University of Florida, Huntsman, NCAA Locations: Maryland, Philadelphia, United States, baseball's, Latin America, America, Dominican Republic, Cleveland, Florida

☆ It’s not just Taylor Swift: AI-generated porn is targeting women and kids all over the world
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It affects everybody.”But while the practice isn’t new, Swift being targeted could bring more attention to the growing issues around AI-generated imagery. Her enormous contingent of loyal “Swifties” expressed their outrage on social media this week, bringing the issue to the forefront. … It’s a reckoning moment.”‘Nefarious reasons without enough guardrails’The fake images of Taylor Swift predominantly spread on social media site X, previously known as Twitter. Although it reportedly took 17 hours for X to take down the photos, many manipulated images remain posted on social media sites. Other social media companies also have reduced their content moderations teams.

Persons: megastar Taylor Swift, “ It’s, ”, Danielle Citron, “, We’ve, Swift, “ Swifties ”, Taylor Swift, ” Citron, …, there’s, Ben Decker, Decker, Karine Jean, Pierre, Francesca Mani, Raymond González, Anita ”, David Jones, Jones, Betsy Kline Organizations: CNN, University of Virginia School of Law, Ticketmaster, Twitter, Meta, White, Westfield High School, Westfield, Communications Locations: New Jersey, Spain, unmoderated

And it certainly wouldn’t be the first time states have lent a hand to Abbott to help border security efforts. Kevin Stitt also sent National Guard troops to the border last year – about 50 of them each – to, at least symbolically, bolster Abbott’s efforts. “[Abbott] is exactly right to invoke Texas’ constitutional authority to defend itself,” she said in a statement. “It's unfortunate that there is a governor in Texas, Governor Abbott, who has politicized this issue of what's happening on the border. “Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, Texas Democrat, said in a statement.

Persons: Gregg Abbott, Biden, Abbott, ” Abbott, ”, “, Bertrall Ross, James Madison, Trump, –, ” Trump, Ron DeSantis, ” DeSantis, Kristi Noem, Kevin Stitt, Mike Johnson, Alejandro Mayorkas, Karine Jean, Pierre, Governor Abbott, ” Jean, we’ve, he's, – Jean, Greg Abbott, Joaquin Castro, Abott Organizations: Texas Gov, White, University of Virginia, Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, U.S ., Appeals, Circuit, Border Patrol, Texas National Guard, National Guard, Florida Gov, U.S, South Dakota Gov, Oklahoma Gov, Biden Administration, Republican, Homeland, Mayorkas, White House, CNN, Republicans, Democrats, ”, Texas Democrat Locations: U.S, Mexico, Texas, United States, “ Texas, Florida, Alabama , Arkansas, Georgia , Idaho , Iowa, Louisiana , Montana , Nebraska, North Dakota , Oklahoma, South Carolina , Tennessee , Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming, ”

Cindy Warmbier's 22-year-old son, who was released by North Korea while in a coma after almost a year and a half in captivity, died days after returning to the United States in June 2017. Haley is hoping that a strong performance in New Hampshire will give her a boost in her home state of South Carolina, which has historically been influential in determining the eventual nominee. The South Carolina primary is Feb. 24. Ron DeSantis in Monday's Iowa caucuses, has framed her campaign's next chapter as a “two-person race” between Trump and herself. Trump said in 2019 he took Kim “at his word” that Kim was unaware of the alleged mistreatment of the American student.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Otto Warmbier, Cindy Warmbier, Haley, “, Otto, ”, Cindy Warmbier's, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Trump “, Kim Jong Un, Trump, Kim “, Kim, Meg Kinnard Organizations: COLUMBIA, — Republican, The University of Virginia, South, Florida Gov, Trump, North Locations: New Hampshire, North Korea, Charleston , South Carolina, United States, Ohio, South Carolina, Monday's Iowa

☆ ‘We owe it to them’: Families of Israelis killed in war find new hope through sperm extraction
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“I’ve seen dozens of people killed in accidents or shootings, but this was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life,” Daphna-Tekoah told CNN by telephone. “I asked ‘Would you like me to find out about sperm preservation?’”Medical social worker Shir Daphna-Tekoah suggested the idea of sperm extraction to bereaved families on October 7. “The demand has been very high,” she told CNN in a video call, adding that dozens of families have accessed the service since October 7. It isn’t that they want a baby instead of their son - it’s the grandchild,” she told CNN by telephone. PSR can be the easy part, Rosenblum told CNN.

Persons: Shir Daphna, “ I’ve, ”, Tekoah, “, ‘, Noga Fuchs, Dr, Shimi Barda, Noga, Barda, Shaylee Atary, Atary, Fuchs, Irit Oren Gunders, Irit Rosenblum, Lawyer Irit Rosenblum, Irit Rosenblum Rosenblum, Rosenblum, “ We’ve, ” Rosenblum, “ I’m, ” Yulia, Vlad Poznianski, Baruch, Yulia, Shira, Liat Malka, Baruch Pozniansky, Yulia Pozniansky, she’s, Malka, She’s, won’t, isn’t, Soldiers, ” Israel ‘, Gil Siegal Organizations: CNN, Kaplan, of Health, PSR, Ichilov, Israel Defense Forces, Noga Fuchs, Noga, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, New, Center for Health Law, Kiryat Ono, Israel, University of Virginia Law School Locations: Tel, Kfar Aza, Gaza, Israel

Yellen will tour a Livent Corp (LTHM.N) facility in Bessemer City, North Carolina, that processes lithium hydroxide, a key ingredient in electric vehicle batteries. The plant near Charlotte is doubling its capacity due to increased demand for electric vehicles spurred by consumer tax credits of up $7,500 approved in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. These include $142 billion in EVs and batteries and $71 billion in clean energy manufacturing, and she attributed much of the investment to tax credits in the inflation reduction act. The Biden administration in coming days is expected to release new guidance on the levels of Chinese content that EV batteries can have and still qualify for IRA tax credits. It will take time for this to fade and for people to feel the benefits of higher wages, he added.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Joe Biden, Yellen, Biden, Donald Trump, Larry Sabato, we're, Sabato, David Lawder, Howard Schneider, Chizu Organizations: . Treasury, U.S, Livent Corp, Midwest, EV, University of Virginia's Center, Politics, Thomson Locations: North Carolina, Bessemer City , North Carolina, Charlotte, EVs, Argentina, Canada, U.S

Trump, according to aggregates of national opinion polls, holds about a 50-percentage-point lead over her, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also in the mix. Trump also has large leads in early Republican nominating states such as Iowa and New Hampshire. The polls show her tied with DeSantis in Iowa and surpassing him in New Hampshire. Should Haley's rise continue, she would likely face a full onslaught of attacks from the Trump campaign, pro-Trump social media influencers, and related super PAC spending groups. A Trump spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the campaign would soon turn its attention to Haley.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Adrienne Arsht, Mike Segar, Donald Trump, Haley, Kyle Kondik, Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Whit Ayres, Ayres, Joe Biden's, Haley's, Betsy Ankney, Nikki, Olivia Perez, HALEY Trump's, Koch, James Oliphant, Alexandra Ulmer, Ross Colvin, Grant McCool Organizations: South Carolina, Republican, U.S, NBC News, Adrienne, Adrienne Arsht Center, Performing Arts, REUTERS, Rights, Trump, University of Virginia Center for Politics, Florida Governor, DeSantis, TRUMP, Thomson Locations: Miami , Florida, U.S, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, California, Texas, South, Tuscaloosa , Alabama

☆ Amazon's AWS appeals to corporate customers with new chatbot, AI safety measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The new software arrives roughly a year after OpenAI’s ChatGPT burst onto the scene, setting off a frenzy of investment in generative AI startups. AWS CEO Adam Selipsky, at Amazon’s annual cloud computing conference in Las Vegas, announced a new safeguard against objectionable content on generative AI applications, called Guardrails for Bedrock. Because generative AI is trained on publicly available content, offensive words or other objectionable content can slip through into results from users’ prompts. Selipsky said the new service was important for customers to put limits they see fit on the generative AI they use. Also at the conference, Amazon announced it would indemnify its customers against lawsuits based on the misuse of copyrighted materials.

Persons: Vincent West, Slack, OpenAI’s, Adam Selipsky, Selipsky, ”, Greg Bensinger, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Facebook, Amazon, Getty, Thomson Locations: Trapagaran, Spain, Las Vegas, Seattle

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s the season of giving thanks — and it turns out humans have been doing it for a long, long time. “This is something that is part of our human DNA,” said Sarah Schnitker, a psychologist at Baylor University. “It is a glue, in a sense, that holds us together.”How we got gratefulPolitical Cartoons View All 1260 ImagesHumans are social animals. Some scientists think the feeling of gratitude evolved to keep the helping exchanges going. Though we can’t “speak chimp” well enough to know if they’re actually saying thanks, Suchak added, it makes sense that some form of this social debt showed up early in our lineage.

Persons: —, they've, ”, Sarah Schnitker, Michael Tomasello, Malini Suchak, capuchin, Suchak, Jenae Nelson, ” Nelson, they’re, Amrisha Vaish, Vaish, Schnitker, Nelson, “ It’s, “ Organizations: Baylor University, Duke University, Canisius University ., Baylor, Harvard, University of Virginia, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP

☆ GM Cruise cofounder, senior exec Dan Kan quits day after CEO exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - General Motors' (GM.N) Cruise co-founder and chief product officer Daniel Kan has resigned, the company told Reuters on Monday, a day after Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt quit. A spokesperson for Cruise said Kan announced his resignation in a Slack message. In his message to employees, seen by Reuters, Kan noted that Cruise had been serving 10,000 rides per week. GM shuffled leadership at Cruise including naming general counsel Craig Glidden as chief administrative officer, bringing in a third-party safety officer and appointing co-presidents. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters on Monday the federal government will do everything it can using existing regulatory powers to ensure that Cruise and other autonomous vehicles are deployed safely.

Persons: Elijah Nouvelage, Cruise, Daniel Kan, Kyle Vogt, Kan, Vogt, Kan didn't, Craig Glidden, Pete Buttigieg, Greg Bensinger, Chizu Nomiyama, Chris Reese, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: GM Bolt, REUTERS, General Motors, Reuters, Cruise, GM, U.S . Transportation, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, United States, San Francisco

☆ Sam Altman's firing at OpenAI reflects schism over future of AI development
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

To many, he was considered the human face of generative AI. Those worries over generative AI came to a head with the surprise ousting of Altman, who was also OpenAI's cofounder. “Does the future then belong to the machines?”Sutskever reportedly felt Altman was pushing OpenAI’s software too quickly into users’ hands, potentially compromising safety. The fate of OpenAI is viewed by many technologists as critical to the development of AI. He advocated on social media in September for a "slowing down" of AI development.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Ilya Sutskever, –, ”, Connor Leahy, Sutskever, OpenAI, Biden, Emmett Shear, Greg Bensinger, Kenneth Li, Matthew Lewis Organizations: FRANCISCO, Microsoft, European Union, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, San Francisco

☆ CEO of GM's Cruise robo-taxi unit resigns amid US safety review
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nov 19 (Reuters) - - Kyle Vogt, the CEO of General Motors' robot-taxi unit Cruise, has resigned from the company a day after apologizing to staff as the company undergoes a safety review of its U.S. fleet. The Cruise board met on Nov. 13 and the next day named GM general counsel Craig Glidden as Cruise's chief administrative officer. The board also said it would retain a third-party safety expert to assess safety operations and culture. Former Tesla President Jon McNeill, a GM director since 2022, was named vice chairman of the Cruise board alongside Barra, who is the chair. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in October opened an investigation into pedestrian risks at Cruise and the Cruise board hired law firm Quinn Emanuel to review Cruise management's responses to regulators investigating the Oct. 2 accident.

Persons: Kyle Vogt, Vogt, Cruise, Vogt's, Craig Glidden, Stephen Lam, Mary Barra, Glidden, Mo Elshenawy, Jon McNeill, Barra, Quinn Emanuel, Greg Bensinger, David Shepardson, Kenneth Li Organizations: General Motors, Reuters, GM, Cruise, Honda, REUTERS, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Traffic Safety Administration, Thomson Locations: United States, San Francisco , California, U.S, San Francisco

☆ GM's Cruise robo-taxi CEO resigns from company
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kyle Vogt, chief technology officer, president & co-founder of Cruise, a Honda and General Motors self-driving car partnership, speaks on stage at the launch of the Cruise Origin autonomous vehicle in San Francisco, California, U.S. January 21, 2020. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 19 - The CEO of General Motors' robot-taxi unit Cruise, Kyle Vogt, has resigned from the company a day after apologizing to staff as the company undergoes a safety review of its U.S. fleet. "The last 10 years have been amazing, and I'm grateful to everyone who helped Cruise along the way," he wrote in the email. Cruise in recent months had touted ambitious plans to expand to additional cities offering fully autonomous taxi rides. Cruise competes with Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Waymo in deploying autonomous vehicles and had been testing hundreds in several cities across the U.S., notably its home of San Francisco.

Persons: Kyle Vogt, Cruise, Stephen Lam, Vogt, Greg Bensinger, Kenneth Li Organizations: Honda, General Motors, Cruise, REUTERS, Reuters, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, Vogt, San Francisco

☆ Webb telescope reveals new details in Milky Way’s heart
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has looked into the heart of the Milky Way galaxy, unveiling new features and mysteries within the chaotic region that could help astronomers unravel more details about the early universe. Astronomers used Webb to glimpse Sagittarius C, or Sgr C, an active region of star formation located about 300 light-years from the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. A light-year, equivalent to 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers), is how far a beam of light travels in one year. Astronomers are still trying to determine what has created the vast amount of energized gas, which surpasses what would normally be released by young massive stars. “Webb has provided us with a ton of data on this extreme environment, and we are just starting to dig into it.”

Persons: James Webb, Webb, ”, Samuel Crowe, “ There’s, ” Crowe, “ Webb, ” Young, Jonathan Tan, Rubén Fedriani Organizations: CNN, NASA, University of Virginia, Instituto Locations: Andalucía, Spain

In an email to staff reviewed by Reuters, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt also said the firm would make a new tender offer to allow employees to sell shares, just two days after cancelling an earlier offer. "As CEO, I take responsibility for the situation Cruise is in today. Vogt also noted that the company's approach to working with regulators, press and the public "must improve." Cancelling the program helped to cut costs for GM after it had to pause Cruise operations. Cruise has said it showed officials of the California DMV the complete video of the accident multiple times and provided a copy to officials.

Persons: Heather Somerville, Cruise, Kyle Vogt, Vogt, We've, Greg Bensinger, Hyunjoo Jin, David Shepardson, Cynthia Osterman, Tom Hogue Organizations: General Motors Corp, REUTERS, General Motors, Reuters, Cruise, Cruisers, GM, California Department of Motor Vehicles, California DMV, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, United States, Washington

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