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☆ Microsoft's everyday AI companion Copilot is here to help – if you're willing to pay
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewMicrosoft is ready to offer you a personal AI buddy — if you're willing to pay. The Redmond tech giant is rolling out its "everyday AI companion," called Copilot, to both individuals and small and medium-sized businesses through paid subscription services. On one level, Copilot is a generative AI tool integrated into Microsoft's suite of apps: think Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. Divya Kumar, Microsoft's search and AI marketing chief, told Business Insider there's a simple reason to pay: to get priority access to the best AI models. In a demo, Kumar used Outlook to show how Copilot could help save time on emails.

Persons: —, Bill Gates, Bennett Raglin, Gates, ChatGPT, Satya Nadella, Stephen Brashear, Divya Kumar, OpenAI, Kumar, It's Organizations: Service, Redmond, Business, Microsoft, Getty

☆ Apple is offering free 25-minute demos for its $3,500 Vision Pro. Here's what buyers can expect.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Apple plans to host demos for its $3,500 Vision Pro at Apple Stores. Users will be shown how to view images and videos while wearing the headset, Bloomberg reported. AdvertisementApple recently announced that it was offering up free demos of its much-anticipated mixed-reality headset, Vision Pro. Apple retail workers will start by fitting users with a headset and explaining how the interface works. Once the headset is on, users will be shown how to view still, panorama, and 3D images that Apple calls "spatial photos," per Bloomberg.

Persons: — Organizations: Apple Stores, Bloomberg, Service, Apple, Employees, Digital

☆ Meta's top AI scientist reportedly warned Mark Zuckerberg that Facebook and Instagram could go extinct if they didn't catch up with ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Meta's top AI scientist urged Mark Zuckerberg to make a ChatGPT rival, the New York Times reports. Yann LeCun warned that Facebook and Instagram could potentially go extinct if Meta didn't act. If Meta didn't buckle down on its AI efforts, Facebook and Instagram could go extinct, LeCun warned, according to the report. "I have been thinking about what you said," the CEO told LeCun during a dinner that evening, a person familiar told the Times. Meta didn't immediately reply to Business Insider's request for comment from Zuckerberg or LeCun.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Yann LeCun, Meta, —, OpenAI, Zuckerberg, Instagram, LeCun, Meta didn't, Josh Hawley of, Richard Blumenthal, Meta wasn't, OpenAI —, didn't, Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg Organizations: New York Times, Facebook, Meta, Service, Times, 4chan, Tech, Google, Microsoft, Paris Locations: Menlo Park , California, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Connecticut

☆ SpaceX plans key NASA demonstration for next Starship launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SpaceX could attempt a key demonstration for NASA during the third test flight of its towering Starship rocket, according to the federal agency. The propellant transfer demonstration would require that the rocket reach orbit as one of the demo's goals. "NASA and SpaceX are reviewing options for the demonstration to take place during an integrated flight test of Starship and the Super Heavy rocket. However, no final decisions on timing have been made," NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell said in a statement to CNBC. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said shortly after November's flight test that hardware for a third Starship launch "should be ready to fly in 3 to 4 weeks."

Persons: SpaceX's, Jimi Russell, Elon Musk Organizations: Boca Chica, SpaceX, NASA, Super, CNBC, Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Brownsville , Texas, U.S

☆ Will guilt-free long-haul flights ever be possible? Here’s what we know
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is a type of alternative jet fuel that can curb carbon emissions by up to 80%. The main reason for the slow adoption is that it’s still more expensive – between 1.5 to 6 times pricier than regular jet fuel. Boeing is not out of the race either, but doesn’t see a hydrogen long-haul plane as around the corner. On medium- and long-haul flights, we don’t see it as a direct source of propulsion until 2040. We would need to see magnitude-order changes [in batteries] for us to consider those for long-haul flights.

Persons: ”, Gary Crichlow, Gökçin Çınar, Ryan Faucett, Alexandre Doumenjou, Andreas Schäfer, Britten, “, Artemis, that’s, Boeing’s Faucett, “ You’re, Schäfer Organizations: CNN — Aviation, Boeing, “, Aviation Environment Federation, SAF, Airbus, University of Michigan, CNN, Virgin Atlantic, University College London, Cranfield Aerospace, Norman, Engineers, NASA, Critchlow Locations: London, Bangkok, New York, California, ZeroAvia

☆ Meta's AI chief doesn't think AI super intelligence is coming anytime soon, and is skeptical on quantum computing
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"I know Jensen," LeCun said at a recent event highlighting the Facebook parent company's 10-year anniversary of its Fundamental AI Research team. Society is more likely to get "cat-level" or "dog-level" AI years before human-level AI, LeCun said. And the technology industry's current focus on language models and text data will not be enough to create the kinds of advanced human-like AI systems that researchers have been dreaming about for decades. These so-called multimodal AI systems represent the next frontier, but their development won't come cheap. And as more companies such as Meta and Google parent Alphabet research more advanced AI models, Nvidia could stand to gain even more of an edge, particularly if no other competition emerges.

Persons: Yann LeCun, Jensen Huang, Jensen, LeCun Organizations: Nvidia, AI Research, Meta

☆ I went to a meeting in a virtual 3D office and left convinced it's way better than sitting on Zoom all day
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Video feeds of workers make the virtual office feel more like a real one by letting you see others. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Then I realized the office door was closed. Just us in the virtual office with video feeds of our faces. Braund steps out of his virtual office every day to take his kids to school, he said.

Persons: Erik Braund, —, I'd, Braund, we're, he's, We've, Katmai, Brady Organizations: Service Locations: Katmai, Netherlands, Alaska

☆ Top tech YouTuber breaks down the Tesla Cybertruck's 'ridiculous' windshield wiper and tricky door handles
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Brownlee also said he appreciated the high level of visibility in the truck, which has a massive windshield. "It feels way more nimble in parking lots and it feels like it shrinks the wheelbase, the whole dimensions of the truck," Brownlee said. The Cybertruck doesn't have any door handles — a feature that some new Cybertruck owners appeared to struggle with during the delivery event. Brownlee expressed some concerns about the lack of door handles on the Cybertruck.

Persons: YouTuber Marques Brownlee, he's, Tesla, —, Brownlee, I'm, Marques Brownlee, Elon Musk Organizations: Service, YouTube Locations: California

☆ A popular female coding Instagram account that said men 'suffer from biases equally to women' was created by a man, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The person behind a female coder's Instagram account is a man, 404 Media reports. The page, called coding_unicorn, has 115,000 followers and claims to be run by a woman called Julia. AdvertisementA popular Instagram account fronted by a woman named Julia Kirsina is run by a man, according to a 404 Media investigation. But in reality, the person running the account is a male software developer called Eduards Sizovs, according to a 404 Media report. Advertisement404 Media dug into Sizovs' IP logs and old YouTube videos, and said it found that he had access to an email account called coding_unicorn.

Persons: Julia, —, Julia Kirsina, Kirsina, coding_unicorn, Sizovs, Ayodeji, Satya Nadella, Gergely Orosz, Anna Boyko, Alina Prokhoda, Kristine Howard, Julia Kirsina —, Scott Hanselman Organizations: Service, Business, Sizovs, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Bloomberg

☆ Microsoft and Amazon Web Services executives are bailing on this tech conference after the organizer was accused of using fake female panelists
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A tech conference organizer was accused of listing fake female panelists on his event website. AdvertisementAn online software development conference has come under fire after its organizers were accused of listing fake female panelists on its website. The DevTernity Conference was slated to run from 7 to 8 December, and featured speakers from Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. He also explained the origins of the three fake female profiles. According to Sizovs, he secured the participation of two female panelists, but both eventually withdrew their participation.

Persons: Eduards Sizovs, —, Gergely Orosz, you've, Anna Boyle, Orosz, Sizovs, Kristine Howard, Scott Hanselman, he's Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Amazon Web, Bloomberg, Amazon Web Services, Sizovs, DevTernity Conference, Business Insider

☆ Boom Supersonic says it will conduct the first test flight of its ultra-speedy 'baby boom' prototype aircraft later this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Colorado startup Boom Supersonic is developing a faster-than-sound jet called Overture. Boom hopes to conduct its first XB-1 flight by the end of this year. The engines on Boom's XB-1 supersonic test plane. To prepare for its first XB-1 flight, Boom said its test pilots had completed hundreds of hours of flight training in a simulator and a trainer aircraft. AdvertisementA pilot sitting in the cockpit of the Boom Supersonic experimental aircraft.

Persons: —, Blake Scholl, Henry Harteveldt, Boom, Charles, Chuck, Yeager, Doc, Shoemaker Organizations: Service, Federal Aviation Administration, eventual, FAA, Business, Boom's, United Airlines, American Airlines, Electric, Pratt & Whitney, GE, Honeywell, Safran Aircraft, Royce, CFM International, Atmosphere Research, Mojave Air, Space Port Locations: Colorado

☆ NASA mission achieves most distant demo of laser communications across space
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —An innovative experiment flying aboard NASA’s Psyche mission just hit its first major milestone by successfully carrying out the most distant demonstration of laser communications. The tech demo was designed to be the US space agency’s most distant experiment of high-bandwidth laser communications, testing the sending and receiving of data to and from Earth using an invisible near-infrared laser. NASA/JPL-CaltechIt’s not the first time laser communications have been tested in space. The first test of two-way laser communication occurred in December 2021 when NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration launched and went into orbit about 22,000 miles (35,406 kilometers) from Earth. And the Artemis II spacecraft will use laser communications to return high-definition video of a crewed journey around the moon.

Persons: Psyche, DSOC, Hale, ”, Trudy Kortes, Meera Srinivasan, Artemis, DSOC won’t, Jason Mitchell Organizations: CNN, NASA, Optical Communications, California Institute of Technology’s, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, Caltech, Space Technology, Psyche’s, Hale, DSOC, NASA’s, Advanced Communications, Navigation Technologies, NASA’s Space Communications Locations: Pasadena , California, DSOC, Wrightwood , California

☆ The Beatles Are Still Charting the Future of Pop. It Looks Bleak.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Peter C. Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

In that context, the “Now and Then” movie’s upfront billing of the track as the last Beatles song feels like a two-pronged rhetorical move. But the truth, ultimately, will lie not with any facts inherent to the universe of existing Beatles recordings. If you can make a Beatles single using ideas from two dead Beatles, then you can make one with ideas from three dead Beatles — or even, perhaps, from four. It reminds me of the Beatles without sounding like the Beatles — and why should it, when Lennon didn’t write it for them? But I suspect that, in this late project, the always-innovative Beatles are once again ahead of their time.

Persons: Drake, Johnny Cash, Taylor Swift, Hank Williams, I’ve, McCartney, Lennon didn’t, relistened

☆ Ford CEO Jim Farley Throws Shade at the Cybertruck's Viral Off-Road Video
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A video of Tesla's Cybertruck struggling to make it up a dirt hill went viral on Friday. On Wednesday, Ford CEO Jim Farley appeared to shade the rival carmaker with his own off-road demo. On Wednesday, Ford CEO Jim Farley appeared to shade the rival carmaker by posting a video of the F-150 Lightning, his company's flagship electric vehicle, making its way up a very similar dirt hill. 👍 pic.twitter.com/uCMUSxUIpj — Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) November 15, 2023He captioned the video, "F-150 Lightning does it all." The F-150 Lightning was released to consumers in 2022, and is the company's first fully electric pickup truck.

Persons: Tesla's Cybertruck, Jim Farley, —, Elon Musk, Tesla, ord Organizations: Ford, Service, EO Locations: Hollister

☆ This video of David Attenborough narrating a programmer's life shows Hollywood actors were right to be afraid of AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A programmer has created an AI version of David Attenborough to narrate his life. AdvertisementIf you've ever wanted acclaimed broadcaster and documentary filmmaker Sir David Attenborough to narrate your life, you're not alone — and you don't have to keep merely wishing for it anymore. He's been posting quirky experiments with AI on X — like one that uses AI to recommend how you should correct your posture. And it's made possible by combining OpenAI's GPT-4-vision — an AI model that can describe what it sees — and code from Elevens Lab, an AI voice startup. One X user wrote, "I'm going to get David Attenborough to narrate videos of my baby learning how to eat broccoli."

Persons: David Attenborough, Salma Hayek —, —, you've, Sir David Attenborough, Charlie Holtz, Holtz, Attenborough, @charliebholtz, Salma Hayek, Annie Murphy —, it's, Justine Bateman, Bateman Organizations: Service, Elevens Lab, Hollywood, Actors

☆ Europe's far right joins rallying cry against antisemitism, unsettling some Jews
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Sandrine Rousseau, a Green lawmaker, said Le Pen's presence had made her uncomfortable. "Marine Le Pen was given rounds of applause several times in the march," a source close to her told Reuters. "For me, the DNA of the far right is antisemitism. But analysts say Le Pen and her party are succeeding in shifting public discourse and perceptions. "Voters are led to believe that the danger no longer comes from the far right, but from political Islam."

Persons: –, Le Pen's, Jean, Marie, Le, Pen, Le Pen, Daniel Levy, Sandrine Rousseau, Giorgia, Marie Le Pen's, Serge Klarsfeld, Yonathan Arfi, Richard Sulzer, Olivier Veran, pollster Levy, Michel Rose, Elizabeth Pineau, Juliette Jabkhiro, Angelo Amante, Sarah Marsh, Rachel Armstrong, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hamas, Rassemblement, National Front, pollster Harris Interactive, Reuters, Rassemblement National, Conservative Party, Le Figaro, Voters, Thomson Locations: France, Israel, Palestinian, Paris, PARIS, Europe, Italy, Germany, Britain, EUROPE, Nazi, constituencies, Rome, Berlin, London

☆ NBA's Spencer Dinwiddie and Calaxy co-founder Solo Ceesay demo the app's new crypto payment feature
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Talia Kaplan | Kaan Oguz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNBA's Spencer Dinwiddie and Calaxy co-founder Solo Ceesay demo the app's new crypto payment featureSpencer Dinwiddie, NBA athlete and co-founder of Calaxy, and Solo Ceesay, co-founder and CEO of Calaxy, discuss the latest for the web3-focused app. In the wide-ranging interview, Dinwiddie and Ceesay explain the new feature for sending crypto or NFTs on the app, discuss digital asset markets and provide their 2024 outlook for web3.

Persons: NBA's Spencer Dinwiddie, Calaxy, Spencer Dinwiddie, Ceesay, Dinwiddie Organizations: NBA, Calaxy

☆ Fact Check: Protester with swastika tattoo photo taken in 2016
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A photo of a far-right protester with a swastika tattoo was captured in the north of England in 2016, not at counter-protests to a pro-Palestinian demo in London on Nov. 11, 2023, despite online accounts making that assertion. Police arrested more than 120 people on Nov. 11 after far-right counter protesters attempted to ambush a pro-Palestinian rally in central London that drew 300,000 demonstrators. One social media user sharing the photo on Facebook (archived) wrote: “English Defence League demonstrator at Saturdays March showing off his swastika tattoo whilst wearing a poppy. These people are that thick that irony is lost on them and I’m stuck for words.”Users of messaging platform X (archived), formerly known as Twitter, also shared the photo as if from the Nov. 11 protest. However, the photo was taken on Nov. 26, 2016 at an anti-Mosque demonstration in Bolton, Greater Manchester, according to the photojournalist who took the image.

Persons: I’m, Read Organizations: Police, English Defence League, Twitter, Nazi, Guardian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: England, London, Bolton , Greater Manchester, Bolton

☆ A former teacher started a YouTube side hustle teaching English – here's how it works
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Thompson had spent five years teaching English in Madrid after college, but quit when she started on Upwork. "I've always loved teaching English —that's what I've always been about," she said. She created another YouTube channel for teaching EnglishThompson's videos about how to be a freelance transcriber were gaining popularity, ultimately being viewed 340,000 times. She started the Sparkle English channel in February 2020. She plans to make her side hustle her main channelToday, Thompson does far less freelancing and her Upwork YouTube channel is her main income.

Persons: Jennifer Thompson, Thompson, I've, She'd, I'm, I'd, ChatGPT Organizations: YouTube Locations: Madrid, Canada, Spain

☆ The Beatles break UK chart records as ‘Now and Then’ becomes No. 1 single
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

1 on the UK charts with their latest and “last” song “Now and Then” becoming the country’s top single. 1, “From Me To You,” in May 1963, according to Official Charts, beating Elvis Presley’s span of 47 years and six months. Paul McCartney, the band’s bass guitarist, told Official Charts on Friday, “It’s mind boggling. At the ages of 81 and 83 respectively, McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr have made The Beatles the oldest band to claim a UK No.1 single, according to Official Charts. 1 singles in the UK, with 18 – with only Elvis Presley in the US having more (21), according to Official Charts.

Persons: ”, Elvis, John, Yoko, Kate Bush’s, Paul McCartney, “, It’s, John Lennon, George Harrison, Lennon, Yoko Ono, McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elvis Presley Organizations: CNN, Beatles Locations: New York City

☆ Humane's AI Pin probably can't replace your phone
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This scenario is one of the scenes in the demo video for the AI Pin, a new wearable device. Humane, a AI hardware startup, announced that its first device, the AI Pin will go on sale at $699. You can ask the AI Pin if it's "okay" to eat. But the AI Pin isn't like a flip phone. I'm not looking to get rid of my phone — and I don't think the AI Pin could really do that anyway.

Persons: —, Imran Chaudhri, Bethany Bongiorno, Siri, Alexa, he's, Katie, I'm, Amy, Siri — Organizations: Apple, Service

☆ Personalized A.I. Agents Are Here. Is the World Ready for Them?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Kevin Roose | More About Kevin Roose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

(Examples that OpenAI created include “Creative Writing Coach” and “Mocktail Mixologist,” a bot that suggests nonalcoholic drink recipes.) The Center for AI Safety, a nonprofit research organization, listed autonomous agents as one of its “catastrophic A.I. risks” this year, saying that “malicious actors could intentionally create rogue A.I.s with dangerous goals.”But there is money to be made in A.I. assistants that can do useful tasks for people, and corporate customers have been itching to train chatbots on their own data. To be fair, OpenAI’s bots aren’t particularly dangerous.

Persons: ”, Mocktail, won’t, — doomers, Sam Altman, ” chatbot Organizations: AI Safety Locations: San Francisco

Featured Investing App Robinhood Investing Start investing On Robinhood's website Icon of check mark inside a promo stamp It indicates a confirmed selection. Account Minimum $0 ($1 for fractional shares; $2,000 for margin trading Fees 0% ($5/month for Robinhood Gold) Pros Check mark icon A check mark. Goal-based planning, tax-loss harvesting, charitable giving, and socially responsible investing availableCheck mark icon A check mark. Streetbeat offers a list of stock picks based on investment data it has analyzedCheck mark icon A check mark. 0.25% for automated investing (0.06% to 0.13% for fund fees) Pros Check mark icon A check mark.

Persons: It's, Apex Crypto, It’s, Tessa Campbell, Read Organizations: Forbes, Robinhood, CFP, Invest, Trade, Ideas, Finance, New, Apex, M1 Finance

☆ Humane's Ai Pin has some in the tech world scratching their heads
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Humane's wearable Ai Pin is finally here — and some tech workers don't seem to be impressed. The criticisms come as techies debate whether Humane's Ai Pin will be the iPhone of the AI era. AdvertisementAdvertisementHumane's highly anticipated Ai Pin is finally here — and some people in tech don't have nice things to say about it. Humane's Ai Pin isn't the only AI gadget getting attention. As for whether AI devices like Humane's Ai pin will create a sea change in the tech industry — only time will tell.

Persons: Humane's Ai, —, Imran Chaudhri, Bethany Bongiorno, Ai, It's, Casey Newton, he'd, didn't, zB2taCCmZ6 — Casey Newton, Avi Schiffmann, Ai Pin's, Ben Kylak, what's, doLIcfU060, Liron Shapira, Joseph Tsar, Steve Jobs, — Joseph Tsar Organizations: Service, Apple, Meta Locations: @CaseyNewton

☆ Former Apple designers launch $700 Humane AI Pin as smartphone replacement
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Humane AI Pin is designed to replace your smartphone, allowing the user to make calls, send texts and look up information through voice controls. Humane said it will begin taking orders for the AI Pin on Nov. 16. The AI Pin has a built-in speaker and camera, and a light flashes when those functions are turned on. Users can access AI services from the internet, rather than downloaded apps. Microsoft, Google , OpenAI, and other companies are contributing AI services, the company said.

Persons: Imran Chaudhri, Bethany Bongiorno, Chaudhri, Sam Altman, Marc Benioff, Bongiorno, Brad Gerstner Organizations: Apple, Mobile, Microsoft, Tiger Global, Qualcomm, Qualcomm Ventures, Google

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