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☆ Apple is now worth $3 trillion
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Apple is once again worth $3 trillion, the only company ever to reach that milestone. With 15.7 billion shares outstanding, that stock price pushed Apple to its historic market value. Apple has been here once before: On January 3, 2022, Apple hit the $3 trillion mark during intraday trading, but it failed to close there. If Apple closes above the $3 trillion mark, it will become the only company ever to achieve that feat. This year’s stock market success for Apple comes in sharp contrast to 2022.

Persons: – Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, Apple Vision, Big, Nvidia, Meta Locations: New York, Big Tech

☆ These images aren’t real, but for some refugees they depict a painful truth
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

For some, Australia’s approach has been seen as a model, particularly in the United Kingdom, which wants to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda. As AI images, they’re powerful and controversial, not least due to fears they could be mistaken for real images in a world awash with false and misleading information. Amnesty International was recently called out for using AI images in a report to depict protesters in Colombia that critics said undermined its credibility as a news source. The refugee AI images were created partly because no “real” alternative existed – partly due to distance but also restrictions on media access and early bans on mobile phones. But the use of fake images to visualize accounts raises questions about when it’s acceptable to create AI images and how they should be presented.

Persons: Ian Rintoul, ”, I’m, It’s, Saman, “ I’m, Maurice Blackburn, they’d, –, Jennifer Kanis, Maurice Blackburn “, “, we’d, Behrouz Boochani, Kim Wade, Wade, Gavin, Kanis Organizations: Australia CNN, Asylum Seeker Resource, Refugee, Coalition, United Nations, CNN, High, Amnesty, Guardian, University of Warwick, Howatson, Australia’s Home Affairs Department, “, Papua New, Papua New Guinea Government Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Nauru, Manus, Papua New Guinea, United Kingdom, Rwanda, Pakistan, United States, New Zealand, Indonesia, Colombia, Papua

☆ At Titanic Site, the Grim Job Now Is Assessing the Submersible’s Debris
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Titan’s fate was not known until Thursday morning in part because it took days to transport remote-operated vehicles that could reach the depth of the Titanic to the site more than two miles below the ocean surface. Experts said the remote vehicles will probably be used to continue surveying the site and to retrieve some items. But parts of the stricken submersible will probably be left on the ocean floor indefinitely, they said. They would not be able to collect everything on the ocean floor, she said, but they could bring back some materials that would be useful in investigations. “They will have to search for Titan debris amid the Titanic debris on the bottom,” he added.

Persons: Admiral Mauger, ”, Jennifer K, Waters, James G Organizations: State University of New York Maritime College, Bellingham, Johns Hopkins University, “

☆ Hackers threaten to leak stolen Reddit data if company doesn’t pay $4.5 million and change controversial pricing policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

In their post, the hackers claim they first demanded a $4.5 million payout “for the deletion of the data and our silence” in April. Reddit CTO Chris Slowe previously posted about a security incident that took place in early February. A Reddit spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Monday that BlackCat’s post relates to the February incident. The spokesperson reiterated that no user data was accessed, but declined to comment beyond that. “We are very confident that Reddit will not pay for its data,” the group wrote in the post on the dark web.

Persons: CNN —, Chris Slowe, Slowe, “, ALPHV, ”, Brett Callow, Emsisoft Organizations: CNN

Separately, state agencies said late Thursday that millions of people in Louisiana and Oregon had their data compromised in a security breach. The cyberattack has targeted federal and state agencies. No other federal agencies have confirmed being impacted. And on Thursday, state agencies said 3.5 million Oregonians with driver’s licenses or state ID cards had been impacted by a breach as well as anyone with that documentation in Louisiana. But much of the responsibility now lies on businesses and federal agencies rather than individuals, according to Cattanach.

Persons: “, ” Robert Cattanach, Dorsey, you’re, ”, Clop, Brett Callow, Emsisoft, ” Callow, Aon, they’ve, ” CISA, Allan Liska Organizations: CNN, Infrastructure Security Agency, Whitney, Department of Justice, The Department of Energy, BBC, British Airways, Boston Globe, Sydney Phoenix, US Department of Homeland, Johns Hopkins University, University of Georgia, –, Progress Software Locations: Russian, Louisiana, Oregon, Minnesota, Illinois, Arlington , VA, Baltimore, Georgia’s

☆ Google earned $10 million by allowing misleading anti-abortion ads from ‘fake clinics,’ report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But the report’s data hints at the broad reach pro-life groups can have by placing these advertisements in Google results for common phrases searched for by abortion seekers. Using Semrush, an analytics tool, researchers at the CCDH identified “188 fake clinic websites” that placed ads on Google between March, 2021 and February of this year. CCDH estimates that ads for fake clinics were clicked on by users 13 million times during this period. “We do not allow ads promoting abortion reversal treatments and we also prohibit advertisers from misleading people about the services they offer.”“We remove or block ads that violate these policies,” the company added. Google said it does not allow for abortion reversal pill advertisements because the treatment isn’t approved by the FDA.

Persons: “, Roe, Wade, Google, ”, Thursday’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Google, Congressional Democrats, CNN, FDA, The Washington Post Locations: New York

☆ Apple’s new challenge: making VR headsets look cool
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But behind this speculation is a more serious potential problem: even Apple may struggle to make VR headsets look cool. The new headset, which blends both virtual reality and augmented reality, is Apple’s most ambitious – and riskiest – new hardware product in years. In one early marketing image, a woman is shown wearing the headset while dressed in very chic clothing and lounging in an upscale living room. Apple’s silhouette ads in the early 2000s somehow managed to make not just iPods look cool, but also wired headphones. People use phones as Apple's Vision Pro headsets are on display at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. June 5, 2023.

Persons: Tim Cook, Palmer Luckey, Oculus, memed, It’s, Robert Scoble, Larry Page, “ Robert, “ They’re, ” Lisa Peyton, “, Loren Elliott Loren Elliott, Reuters “, ” Marcus Collins, Collins, “ you’re, Alan Dye, it’s, ”, ” Peyton, “ It’s, they’ll Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, Facebook, Google, University of Oregon, CNN, Developers, REUTERS, Reuters, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan Locations: New York, —, Cupertino , California, U.S

☆ How tech companies are working to help detect AI-generated images
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In recent months, an AI-generated image of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket went viral and AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump getting arrested were widely shared, shortly before he was indicted. Some lawmakers are now calling for tech companies to address the problem. Reality Defender and Hive Moderation are working on the former. Other tech companies like Google appear to be pursuing a playbook that pulls a bit from both approaches. “We need everybody to participate.”For now, however, tech companies continue to move forward with pushing more AI tools into the world.

Persons: Jeffrey McGregor, “ We’re, we’re, ”, McGregor, ” McGregor, Pope Francis, Donald Trump, Vera Jourova, –, “, Dall, ChatGPT, ” Hany Farid, ” Farid, Tom Cruise deepfake, ” Ben Colman, Kevin Guo, ” Guo, —, Andy Parsons, Bing, Farid, ” Parsons Organizations: New, New York CNN, Microsoft, ” Tech, European, Google, Meta, Big Tech, Reality, University of California, CNN, Realty, “, Coalition, Adobe, CAI, BBC, Intel, Sony Locations: New York, EU, Berkeley

☆ The Man Who Turned the World on to the Genius of Fungi
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Jennifer Kahn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Plants managed to leave water and grow on land only because of their collaboration with fungi, which acted as their root systems for millions of years. Even today, roughly 90 percent of plants and nearly all the world’s trees depend on fungi, which supply crucial minerals by breaking down rock and other substances. They can also be a scourge, eradicating forests — Dutch elm disease and chestnut blight are fungi — and killing humans. Without fungi, matter wouldn’t decay; the planet would be buried under layers of dead and unrotted trees and vegetation. But where “Fantastic Fungi” fell decidedly into the old-school, ’shroom-head camp, Sheldrake’s book is more embracing and more optimistic.

Persons: it’s, Sheldrake, twining, Suzanne Simard, ’ shroom, Iris Van Herpen, bodices Organizations: Adidas, HBO Locations: Ikea

☆ People describe near-death experiences in an eerily similar way. They've convinced some researchers that an afterlife exists.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Aria Bendix | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Researchers who study near-death experiences say they believe in a consciousness beyond our physical reality. Tucker studies near-death experiences and young children who report memories of a past life. Penberthy studies both near-death experiences and after-death communications, or people who say they were visited by a deceased loved one. supersizer/Getty ImagesMany people with near-death experiences also report having the same visions as one another. From there, people with near-death experiences describe traveling through a dark passage, Tucker said.

Persons: —, Jim Tucker, Jennifer Kim Penberthy, Tucker, Penberthy, Ryan Hammons, Hammons, Marty Martyn, he's, it's, Critics, Justin Paget, who've Organizations: University of Virginia, Service, Hollywood, SXSW, University of Louisville, Getty Locations: Austin , Texas, Hollywood

☆ Reigning NCAA champion Rose Zhang becomes the 1st LPGA golfer to win tournament in pro debut since 1951
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Homero De La Fuente | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But Sunday’s final round shaped up to be a roller coaster for the two-time NCAA women’s golf national champion. With a win in sight, Zhang missed a would-be victory clinching putt to send the tournament into a sudden death playoff with Kupcho. Rose Zhang at the first tee during the final round of the LPGA Mizuho Americas Open on Sunday. Following her maiden LPGA Tour victory, Woods congratulated Zhang on Twitter saying, “Incredible few weeks for Rose Zhang, defends her NCAA title and then wins in her Pro debut. Despite the busy school schedule, Zhang says fans can expect to see a lot more of her on the LPGA Tour.

Persons: Rose Zhang, Jennifer Kupcho, Zhang, Atthaya Thitikul, Aditi Ashok, Beverley Hanson, it’s, I’ve, ” Zhang, “, I’m, ”, Rich Graessle, Lorena Ochoa, Tiger Woods, Woods, what’s, I’ll Organizations: CNN, Mizuho, Liberty National Golf Club, Kupcho, Stanford, NCAA, LPGA, LPGA Mizuho, NCAA National, CS Locations: New Jersey, Cheyenne Knight, Arizona

☆ Zhang triumphs in playoff to win in pro debut on LPGA Tour
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 4 (Reuters) - American Rose Zhang prevailed in a tense playoff against compatriot Jennifer Kupcho to claim at the Mizuho Americas Open title and become first woman in more than 70 years to win on her professional debut at an LPGA Tour event on Sunday. "It was just last week that I won NCAAs with my team mates and to turn pro and come out here, it's just been amazing." Got a taste of the pressure, got a taste of the wind and I tried to stay composed as always," said Zhang. Zhang, who won the Augusta National Women's Amateur in April, is the second woman to win in her pro debut on the tour after Beverly Hanson in 1951. Reporting by Amy Tennery; Additional reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rose Zhang, Jennifer Kupcho, it's, Zhang, Beverly Hanson, Amy Tennery, Nick Mulvenney, Christopher Cushing Organizations: YORK, Mizuho, Liberty, Augusta National, Amateur, Thomson Locations: Sydney

☆ Opinion: Rose Zhang is a reminder to sports fans — anything can happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Opinion Amy Bass | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Zhang displays her trophy after winning the Mizuho Americas Open in a playoff over Jennifer Kupcho during the final round Sunday. “Incredible few weeks for Rose Zhang, defends her NCAA title and then wins in her Pro debut,” tweeted Tiger Woods, who forged his own legacy as a Stanford Cardinal golf player. Join us on Twitter and FacebookIt would be wise, sport fans, to pay attention, even if golf isn’t your thing. With Rose Zhang, the LPGA has a star who is not just the most touted athlete to hit women’s golf in a long time, but golf writ large. Indeed, Zhang might be one of those athletes, like Woods, who could transcend her sport, creating the start of something special for all of us.

Persons: Amy Bass, Read, Rose Zhang, Beverly Hanson, Amy Bass Rodney Bedsole I’m, —, Julene Caulfield, Zhang, Jennifer Kupcho, Elsa, ” Zhang, ”, Woods, “, Zhang —, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz Organizations: Manhattanville College, CNN, Mizuho, Stanford University, NCAA, Student, Manhattanville, Division III, Liberty, Stanford, Kupcho, Twitter, Stanley, Golden Knights, Celtics, Denver Nuggets, NBA Locations: Jersey City , New Jersey, Vegas, Florida

☆ OpenAI launches a free ChatGPT app for iOS
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

OpenAI on Thursday announced the launch of a free ChatGPT app for iOS users in the United States, with plans to roll out to other countries soon. The launch comes six months after OpenAI first released ChatGPT online to the public. The new ChatGPT app has the same capabilities as the web version of the viral chatbot tool, and could help build on its popularity. With the app, users will also be able to send voice prompts through their phone’s microphone, rather than just typing them. OpenAI plans to launch an Android version next, according to the company’s CTO Mira Murati.

☆ This company wants to give you a free TV. The catch? constant ads.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

There’s a catch: a second screen attached to the bottom streams non-stop information and advertising based on the household’s extensive personal data. From TellyThe TVs, subsidized by those ads on the second screen, will begin shipping out to the customers on its waitlist this summer. Telly has opened sign-ups for the first 500,000 of its Dual Screen Smart TVs, a 55-inch display with a second smart screen integrated through a sound bar. On top of a square for advertisements, the smart screen displays information including news, sports scores, weather and stocks. Though it ships with a 4K Android TV streaming stick, the technology is compatible with other major streaming devices like the Amazon Fire Stick or Apple TV.

☆ Google to delete accounts that have been inactive for at least two years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —If you haven’t logged into your Google account in a long time, you better use it or lose it. Google announced Tuesday it will start deleting accounts that have been inactive for at least two years, a move that the company says is intended to prevent security risks. The updated policy takes effect immediately, but Google said it will not begin deleting accounts until December. The company plans to send out multiple warning notifications to users and to conduct the purge of inactive accounts in phases. The decision to delete accounts goes a step further than an older policy.

☆ Mr. ChatGPT goes to Washington: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman set to testify before Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

As the CEO of OpenAI, Altman, perhaps more than any other single figure, has come to serve as a face for a new crop of AI products that can generate images and texts in response to user prompts. In interviews this year, Altman has presented himself as someone who is mindful of the risks posed by AI and even “a little bit scared” of the technology. Others want Altman and OpenAI to move more cautiously. “I think moving with caution and an increasing rigor for safety issues is really important,” Altman said at an event last month. “The letter I don’t think was the optimal way to address it.”– CNN’s Jennifer Korn contributed to this report.

☆ Who is Sam Altman? The man behind ChatGPT is about to have his moment on Capitol Hill
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —For a few months in 2017, there were rumors that Sam Altman was planning to run for governor of California. Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind viral chatbot ChatGPT and image generator Dall-E, is set to testify before Congress on Tuesday. Maybe I’m wrong?’ Thank God someone with so much power has so much humility.”Others want Altman and OpenAI to move more cautiously. OpenAI co-founder & CEO Sam Altman speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019 at Moscone Convention Center on October 03, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Similar generative AI technology is quickly finding its way into productivity and search tools used by billions of people.

☆ High-Tech Banks Grapple With a Rise in Old-Fashioned Crime: Check Fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

It took California businesswoman Jennifer Krempp one day to realize someone had stolen and fraudulently cashed several checks she mailed on behalf of her family plumbing company. Three months later, she is still waiting to get all her money back.

☆ Warren Buffett's rival for attention at Berkshire weekend: Squishmallows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Investors and guests walk by a Squishmallow display during the Berkshire Hathaway Inc in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. May 5, 2023. On Friday, the start of Berkshire Hathaway Inc's (BRKa.N) three-day shareholder weekend, thousands thronged a convention hall in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, for five hours to buy discounted products from many Berkshire-owned brands. For many, the $9.99 Squishmallows featuring Buffett and Munger, made by Berkshire's recently acquired toy company Jazwares, were the must-have memento. About 10,000 Buffett and Munger Squishmallows were sold, and by Monday they were fetching as much as $255 at auction on eBay. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in Omaha, Nebraska Editing by Megan Davies and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Google rolls out an alternative to the password
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —The days of having to think up new passwords that aren’t “password123” may be coming to an end – at least on your Google accounts. Google on Wednesday began rolling out support for passkeys, an alternative sign-in method for apps and websites that the company says is meant to serve as an “easier to use and more secure” alternative to the password. With passkeys, Google said users can access their various accounts the same way they might unlock their phone: with a fingerprint, face scan or screen lock PIN. Apple rolled out its passkey option with the release of iOS 16, allowing people to use the technology across apps, including Apple Wallet. Passkey support was rolled out on Chrome and Android devices in October 2022, but now the option is available across Google accounts, from Gmail to Drive.

☆ Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak voices concerns about AI and a need for regulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“I’m just a scientist who suddenly realized that these things are getting smarter than us,” Hinton told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview on Tuesday. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who was one of the signatories on the letter, appeared on “CNN This Morning” on Tuesday, echoing concerns about its potential to spread misinformation. “Tricking is going to be a lot easier for those who want to trick you,” Wozniak told CNN. Hinton, for his part, told CNN he did not sign the petition. “It’s not clear to me that we can solve this problem,” Hinton told Tapper.

☆ AI pioneer quits Google to warn about the technology’s ‘dangers’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

He worked part-time at Google for a decade on the tech giant’s AI development efforts, but he has since come to have concerns about the technology and his role in advancing it. In a tweet Monday, Hinton said he left Google so he could speak freely about the risks of AI, rather than because of a desire to criticize Google specifically. “I left so that I could talk about the dangers of AI without considering how this impacts Google,” Hinton said in a tweet. OpenAI, Microsoft and Google are at the forefront of this trend, but IBM, Amazon, Baidu and Tencent are working on similar technologies. Obviously, I no longer think that.”Even before stepping aside from Google, Hinton had spoken publicly about AI’s potential to do harm as well as good.

☆ America's broken housing market is making millennials and Gen Z lonelier
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Loneliness is a perceived lack of connection — the discrepancy between the social connection someone has and the connection they want. Holt-Lunstad's widely-cited research has found that loneliness and social isolation have health impacts comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. People who live in communities with more walkable neighborhoods, shared space, greenery, and diverse types of housing, feel more socially connected and less lonely. In her work, Peavey has come up with six design strategies for creating third spaces — places that aren't home, work, or school — to facilitate social connection. But neighborhoods need to be dense and walkable in order for people to easily access these places because cars and physical distance get in the way.

New York CNN —Musician Ed Sheeran played guitar and sang on the stand Thursday as part of his testimony in a copyright infringement trial about whether his smash single “Thinking Out Loud” copied the classic Marvin Gaye song “Let’s Get It On.”Sheeran played the opening line of “Thinking Out Loud” in an attempt to rebut the testimony of the plaintiff’s expert witness, Alexander Stewart. Kathryn Townsend Griffin, daughter of singer and songwriter Ed Townsend, speaks outside New York Federal Court during a copyright infringement trial against singer Ed Sheeran, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in New York. John Minchillo/APSheeran is accused of copying “Let’s Get It On” by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the 1973 hit with Gaye. Sheeran’s legal team has argued throughout the week that the sounds used in both songs are common in pop music. In his opening statement Tuesday, Townsend attorney Ben Crump noted Sheeran played his ballad and Gaye’s song back-to-back in a medley during a concert, and called the moment a “smoking gun.”

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