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☆ Opinion | America Has a Chance to Make Farming More Climate Friendly
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Robert B. Semple Jr. | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

Why, when we think of climate change, do we think of big oil, not big ag; Exxon and not Tyson? It’s time you met the big ag lobby, one of the most powerful influences on policy in America. But when we started digging into the big ag lobby, we discovered it’s basically — “The most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. So the big ag lobby has one key aim — block environmental regulation. I absolutely envy how good these lobbyists are at their job.” It’s outrageous what the big ag lobby has gotten away with.

Persons: “, Peter Lehner, He’s, I’m, It’s, Tyson, Jennifer Jacquet, She’s, Peter, she’s, ”, Zippy Duvall, “ —, John Boehner, —, You’ve, Waxman, Markey, Obama, American Farm Bureau Federation didn’t, ” —, JBS, don’t, they’re, Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker, I’ve, they’ve Organizations: Agriculture, ExxonMobil, Shell, Exxon, Washington , D.C, American Farm Bureau Federation, Capitol, U.S . Farmers, Tyson, New York Times, Republican, Senate’s Agriculture, pharma Locations: America, United States, Lake Erie, U.S, China, Washington ,, Kyoto, Senate’s

☆ Factbox: Jefferies sees AI fuelling next wave of innovation in oil and gas sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 9 (Reuters) - With AI rapidly becoming a buzzword across industries, oil and gas companies are exploring ways to use this technology to fuel innovation in the energy sector. Here are 10 predictions for future applications of AI in energy, according to brokerage Jefferies. In 2022, oil-field services firm Patterson-UTI (PTEN.O) CEO William A. Hendricks Jr said AI may allow one person to manage 4 rigs instead of one person per rig. MAXIMIZING RECOVERY RATESAI could help enhance oil recovery at brownfield sites, subject to declining production and higher operating costs. Italian oilfield services firm Saipem (SPMI.MI) is developing an AI tool to maximize well quality.

Persons: Jefferies, Patterson, William A, Hendricks Jr, Arshreet Singh Organizations: Shell, Akselos, Resources, Chevron, Thomson Locations: Swiss

☆ 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

☆ Job listings asking for generative AI skills are soaring, analysis finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Job ads citing generative AI increased to 1,496 in May compared to just over 100 in January. Corporate America has been keen to show it's on top of the AI trend. Job listings asking for generative AI skills are on the rise, a new analysis from job search engine Adzuna has found. Among these, ads citing generative AI grew to 1,496 as of May this year compared to 185 job listings in January, and just three in May 2022. In an early analysis, Goldman Sachs predicted Generative AI could lead to significant upheaval in the labor market, affecting around 300 million jobs globally.

Persons: Adzuna, ChatGPT, James Neave, Neave, Insider's Aaron Mok, Goldman Sachs, Arvind Krishna Organizations: Corporate America, ChatGPT

☆ Why AI wasn't mentioned at all during Apple's big WWDC presentation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple execs didn't mention AI once during the company's WWDC keynote. It was a deliberate choice and a stark contrast to other Big Tech companies that have embraced the term. During Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon's first quarter earnings calls in April, AI was cumulatively mentioned 168 times, for example. Most other Big Tech companies would likely tout these as "AI innovations" to appeal to the current enthusiasm around the term. The word wasn't mentioned one time during the entire keynote, even though many rivals would likely use the word to describe the Vision Pro headset.

Persons: —, Tim Cook, Apple execs, Amazon's, Cook, Apple, There's, Siri Organizations: Apple, Big Tech, Morning, Microsoft, Google Locations: Valley, Dutch

In their joint venture agreement, Baker Hughes says it uses C3.ai's solutions and also sells the product to companies in the oil and gas industry. CNBC's "Last Call" aired a report Thursday night on the investor lawsuit against C3.ai and the company's relationship with Baker Hughes. The lawsuit says the publicity about the massive Baker Hughes sales force "artificially inflated C3's stock" when the company first went public. Richard Drew | APIn an April 2023 filing, Baker Hughes announced it divested 1.7 million C3.ai shares, bringing its ownership to 6.9 million shares. Kerrisdale pointed to C3.ai's "highly conspicuous growth" in unbilled receivables, largely from Baker Hughes, and wrote that "accounting red flags abound with the Baker Hughes relationship."

Persons: Tom Siebel, Siebel, Thomas M, Chris J, Ratcliffe, it's, Baker Hughes, Logan Roy, Larry Ellison, Yasmin Khorram, Dan Brennan, We've, Brennan, he's, CNBC's, Reed Kathrein, Theranos, —, Kathrein, Richard Drew, they'd, unbilled, receivables, Siebel's, Ken Goldman, Goldman, Gil Luria, Davidson, Luria, Nick Wells, Scott Zamost, Sam Woodward, Tom Siebel's Organizations: Siebel Systems, Oracle, Bloomberg Tech Summit, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Forbes, Siebel, C3, U.S . Department of Defense, Shell, Northern District of, SEC, Twitter, " Traders, New York Stock Exchange, AP, Point Capital Management, Spotify, C3 Energy, Revenue, Wall Locations: London, Redwood City , CA, Redwood City , California, Northern District, Northern District of California, unbilled receivables, Point

☆ TSMC or Samsung? One chipmaker is the better play on A.I., geopolitics and earnings, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Samsung Electronics have emerged as two key players in the increasingly competitive landscape of the chip-making sector. "So, on a relative basis, I think TSMC offers better quality of earnings and also a much better free cash flow margin." "So, the quality of earnings, quality of management, and shareholder return favor TSMC over Samsung," Hosseini concluded. The tech analyst said that when it comes to advanced microchip manufacturing, TSMC is pretty much the only game in town. But they are still way behind TSMC," Hosseini said.

☆ AI is the latest buzzword in tech—but before investing, know these 4 terms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

ChatGPT, the viral chatbot that generates conversational responses to written inputs from users, has made artificial intelligence (AI) the latest buzzword in tech. AI took center stage at Google's annual developer's conference on May 10, where the company announced that its search engine would incorporate AI in order to synthesize search results for users. The company also plans to integrate AI into Gmail to help users write emails. The company has also infused its popular Microsoft 365 apps, including Word and Excel, with a new set of AI features dubbed "Copilot." Here are four AI terms to know.

☆ Explainer: Why are Nvidia's shares soaring and what is its role in the AI boom?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FROM GAMING TO AI: NVIDIA'S FOCUS SHIFTNvidia, known for its chips used in videogames, pivoted to the data center market over the last few years. WHY IS GENERATIVE AI A HOT TOPIC? Viral chatbot ChatGPT has made generative AI a buzzword this year. More recently, chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O) released details on its new AI chip to try to challenge Nvidia's market share. Nvidia's main competitors include Advanced Micro Devices and AI chips made in-house by companies such as Amazon.com, Google and Meta Platforms.

Persons: Nvidia, ChatGPT, Goldman Sachs, Elon Musk, Chavi Mehta, Sriraj Kalluvila, David Gaffen Organizations: Nvidia, NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Handout, REUTERS, Microsoft Corp, Inc, Google, Devices, Intel, Tesla, Financial Times, WHO, Thomson Locations: U.S, Santa Clara , California, Bengaluru

☆ Wall Street landlords with billions in their coffers have gone silent, patiently waiting for cheaper homes to buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For the first two or so years of the pandemic, it looked like big, corporate landlords would buy up so many rental homes that they'd soon control the market that had been the purview of mom-and-pop owners. But five months in, the lull that started the year persists, said analysts at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, a purveyor of real-estate data. According to JT Graham, a John Burns analyst who attended an April conference of the SFR lobbying group National Home Rental Council, the buzzword there was "patience." For those that do make the trip, they can console themselves that the industry's fundamentals are strong enough to offset headwinds such as soaring taxes and slowing rent growth, John Burns analysts said. They're also able to absorb defaults and vacancies in the way small landlords can't as their costs increase.

☆ Bank of America says buy these five tech stocks before it's too late
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Bank of America named a slew of tech stocks that are just too attractive to ignore. IBM The evolution of IBM continues, Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan said after attending the company's recent Think event. "We believe IBM will embark on further cost cutting, and enhance its services and software offerings through acquisitions," he said. The stock finished the week up 3.6% this year, and Bank of America sees plenty more gains for the legacy tech giant. IBM "IBM expect to monetize AI first through Services and expects a later inflection in Software as adoption scales.

☆ This startup uses generative AI to speed up the property-buying process. Check out the 14-slide pitch deck Orbital Witness used to raise $9 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Orbital Witness uses generative AI to speed up the due diligence process when buying properties. The London-based startup has raised $9 million in a round led by US property tech investor Parker89. A startup that uses generative AI to streamline the lengthy due diligence associated with buying property has raised $9 million in a round led by US investor Parker89. Amid a tougher funding environment, Pearce said that the team was still very specific about who they took money from and skewed towards property tech investors. The round was led by property tech investors Parker89, which has backed Properly, Flyhomes, and Orchard.

☆ Career expert’s 4 best networking tips for new graduates: It’s ‘about quality, not quantity’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Isabel Engel | In Isabel--Engel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

It is a topic that Byron Slosar, career expert and CEO of the HelloHive career platform, is passionate about. The former director of an alumni career networking program, Career Wave Programs, at Tulane University, Slosar founded HelloHive with the intention of connecting a diverse group of next-generation talent to hiring companies. He spoke with CNBC Make It, offering his perspective on the importance of networking – and the ways to do it effectively. "Let's focus on steps one and two because steps three, four, and five are bound to change," Slosar adds. He shares four tips for the Class of 2023 as they aim to take those first career steps and effectively network to advance their career goals.

☆ Welcome to Richie’s World
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sadiba Hasan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

For Richie Shazam, becoming a Bollywood princess was not a manifestation. It was a realization. The model, photographer and director thinks that the term “manifestation” has become a buzzword that removes accountability, she explained in Ludlow House, a social club on the Lower East Side, in between puffs from her turquoise-colored vape. “You could say, ‘I spoke something into existence,’” she said, “but what are you actually doing to realize it?”When she was growing up, she watched hours of Bollywood films in her bedroom in the Jamaica section of Queens, marveling at actresses like Kajol. “Seeing that rich brown skin and watching the beautiful Bollywood icons really allowed me to embody an identity behind closed doors,” she said, recalling that she told herself, “‘One day I’ll be able to be this person.’”

Leading AI developers, including Anthropic, Google, Hugging Face, NVIDIA Corp (NVDA.O), OpenAI, and Stability AI, will participate in a public evaluation of their AI systems. Shortly after Biden announced his reelection bid, the Republican National Committee produced a video featuring a dystopian future during a second Biden term, which was built entirely with AI imagery. Such political ads are expected to become more common as AI technology proliferates. In February, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate bias in their AI use. The Biden administration has also released an AI Bill of Rights and a risk management framework.

☆ Sebastian Steudtner has turned to science as he chases the world’s biggest waves
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Matt Majendie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —Sebastian Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Win, win, win or perform, perform, perform. How boring is it to win and win and win? If I want to catch waves, I don’t think about you because you’re in my way, so you’re naturally competitive.

☆ Silicon Valley's Hail Mary moment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Silicon Valley has entered the Hail Mary phase of its business cycle — a desertic part of a tech-industry downturn where desperation can turn into recklessness. Don't fear the robotsTo understand the Hail Mary moment, it's important to understand the actual capabilities of technology these tech titans are touting. Again, what Musk is describing is AI general intelligence — something much more advanced than the generative AI OpenAI is building on at the moment. During the pandemic when governments were handing out cash and people were stuck at home, the world bought everything Silicon Valley was selling. But those are exactly the types of workers getting laid off in Silicon Valley right now.

☆ Google plans to upgrade search with AI chat, video clips- WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 6 (Reuters) - Google is planning to make its search engine more "visual, snackable, personal, and human," with a focus on serving young people globally, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing documents. The move comes as artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as ChatGPT are rapidly gaining in popularity, highlighting a technology that could upend the way businesses and society operate. At its annual I/O developer conference in the coming week, Google is expected to debut new features that allow users to carry out conversations with an AI program, a project code-named "Magi," WSJ added, citing people familiar with the matter. Google, part of Alphabet Inc., did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ White House to meet Microsoft, Google CEOs on AI dangers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationWASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - The White House will host CEOs of top artificial intelligence companies, including Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O), on Thursday to discuss risks and safeguards as the technology catches the attention of governments and lawmakers globally. Leading AI developers, including Anthropic, Google, Hugging Face, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and Stability AI, will participate in a public evaluation of their AI systems at the AI Village at DEFCON 31 - one of the largest hacker conventions in the world - and run on a platform created by Scale AI and Microsoft. Such political ads are expected to become more common as AI technology proliferates. In February, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate bias in their use of AI. The Biden administration has also released an AI Bill of Rights and a risk management framework.

☆ Samsung is a Case Study in How Manufacturers Leave China
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jacky Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The $53 billion Chips Act seeks to end the U.S.’s reliance on foreign-made semiconductors, especially those used by the Pentagon. It’s the latest example of the federal government using its cash to remake an industry it sees as crucial to national security. “De-risking” is the latest buzzword describing Western governments’ strategy toward China. While it sounds less ambitious than “decoupling,” the basic idea is similar: reducing reliance on China for manufacturing, especially for key technological goods. But the practicalities of even a partial move away from China-based manufacturing are daunting.

☆ Read this to understand what Fed Chair Powell said today
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Recap: What’s been happening at the FedSince last March, the Fed hiked interest rates ten times (the tenth happened today). Because of that, lenders have to charge higher interest rates on credit cards, mortgages and loans. It’s essentially the same deal with interest rates. But to the Fed’s credit, that’s much better than last year when prices were 8.3% higher than a year prior. Part of that goes back to the Fed’s interest rate hikes.

☆ Ending the retailers’ crisis has a high price tag
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BARCELONA, May 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - High-street retailers are facing a heavy bill to weather the cost-of-living crisis. The cost of heating stores and staff requests for pay rises are squeezing operating margins at top players like H&M (HMb.ST) and Next (NXT.L). Shrinking disposable income is making it hard for these retailers to boost sales to protect margins. Most bricks-and-mortar retailers trade on higher multiples than they did before the war in Ukraine sparked soaring inflation. But that leaves a squeezed middle of retailers like H&M exposed to the brunt of the retail crisis.

☆ This AI-generated ad for a fake pizza restaurant shows the tech still has a long way to go
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Reddit user posted a pizza ad he made using AI tools like ChatGPT Plus and Midjourney. The ad is for a fake pizza restaurant called "Pepperoni Hug Spot," and shows "people" eating pizza. Well unsurprisingly, the ad for a fake pizza restaurant called "Pepperoni Hug Spot" is not real — it's all AI-generated. The fake pizza restaurant ad was created by a Reddit user named PizzaLater, and was posted to the Midjourney Reddit page. "Our chefs make pizza with heart and special touch," the ad says, not too far off something a normal pizza ad would say.

☆ Mark Zuckerberg said the word 'AI' no less than 27 times during a Meta earnings call this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mark Zuckerberg referenced AI about 27 times at Meta's earnings call on Wednesday. Mark Zuckerberg was careful to remind investors on Wednesday that Meta is very much invested in the AI arms race underway in the tech industry. Overall, the word "AI" was used 57 times on Wednesday between Zuckerberg, analysts' questions, and comments from Meta CFO Susan Li. At the previous earnings call in February, Zuckerberg referenced AI about 16 times and before OpenAI's ChatGPT made headlines in November, he addressed it 9 times. Meta's stock jumped 14% on Thursday after the company's earnings beat Wall Street expectations.

Google used the term 52 times on its first-quarter call on Tuesday, up from 45 in the fourth quarter. Both companies said AI was already juicing sales, but neither said when or if they would start breaking out any sales, costs, or profits from the technology. Bing has lagged Google search for decades but Nadella said that Bing downloads had jumped since the addition of AI features and now had 100 million daily users. Toyama said Google already used AI to monetize their search algorithms and he did not expect AI advances from its rivals to be as much of a threat as some thought. Meta, which has admitted it is playing catch-up in AI, has published an AI model that can pick out individual objects from within an image.

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