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☆ Allen Institute teams up with AWS to build first-ever map of the brain
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

AWS on Wednesday announced its technology will support the Allen Institute as it builds a map of the human brain, called the Brain Knowledge Platform. To build the new platform, the Allen Institute is using single cell genomics technologies. The Allen Institute is a nonprofit research institute based in Seattle. As such, the Allen Institute is leveraging AWS' cloud computing and machine learning to standardize and consolidate complex brain data into one place. The Allen Institute will work to build the Brain Knowledge Platform over the next five years.

Persons: Dr, Ed Lein, It's, Lein, Rowland Illing Organizations: Genome Project, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Amazon Web Services, Wednesday, Allen Institute, Allen Locations: Washington ,, Seattle

Former President Donald Trump speaks to guests at the 2023 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum on April 14, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Donald Trump has become the first U.S. president, former or otherwise, to be indicted on federal criminal charges. Trump announced in Thursday posts on his Truth Social platform that prosecutors had notified his attorneys he had been indicted. Trump, the leading contender for the GOP presidential nomination next year, is scheduled to appear at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday. Last month, a grand jury in New York indicted Trump on state charges for allegedly falsifying business records.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Jack Smith Organizations: ILA, NBC News, White, New York, Trump, U.S . Capitol Locations: Indianapolis , Indiana, Miami, New, Georgia

☆ Google Cloud is partnering with Mayo Clinic as it tries to expand use of generative A.I. in health care
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

On Wednesday, Google Cloud said Mayo Clinic is using a new service called Enterprise Search on Generative AI App Builder, which was introduced Tuesday. Google Cloud and Mayo Clinic signed a 10-year partnership in 2019. Mayo said at the time it selected Google Cloud to be the "cornerstone of its digital transformation." The partnership announced Wednesday is the first step in an expanded agreement between the two companies to work together on AI applications in health care. WATCH: CNBC's interview with Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian

Persons: Thomas Kurian, OpenAI, Mayo Organizations: Mayo Clinic, Google Cloud, Mayo, Google, Microsoft, Health Locations: U.S, Mayo

☆ Apple Vision Pro demo roundup: Here’s what everyone is saying
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple let some people try out its new Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. The Vision Pro will allow users to see apps in a new way, in the spaces around them. The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern said the Vision Pro was intuitive to use, has the "fit and finish" of an Apple gadget, and is more comfortable than Meta Quest Pro or Quest 2. Stern said Apple showed her a number of different demos, and she said she thinks the most valuable initial uses for the Vision Pro will be for watching movies and working. 9to5Mac's Chance Miller said that it was easy to get the Vision Pro to feel "snug" and that it was generally pretty comfortable.

Persons: Joanna Stern, It's, Stern, Apple, 9to5Mac's Chance Miller, Miller Organizations: Apple, Worldwide Developers, Apple Watch, Microsoft, Meta Quest, Vision

☆ Apple hits record high ahead of VR headset unveiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., at the opening of the new Apple BKC store in Mumbai, India, April 18, 2023. Apple shares hit a record high Monday as the company prepares to launch a number of new updates and products, including its widely anticipated mixed-reality headset, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The new headset from Apple would mark new investment into a technology that has been fraught with disillusionment. When Facebook rebranded as Meta in October 2021, it drew attention to VR and the metaverse headsets. But since then, sales for existing VR headsets have underperformed, usage has been worse and the anticipated explosion in successful VR software companies isn't yet a reality.

Persons: Tim Cook, —, Kif Leswing Organizations: Apple Inc, Apple, Developers, Nasdaq, Facebook, Meta, VR Locations: Mumbai, India

Apple's about to kick off WWDC 2023 where it's expected to unveil its highly-anticipated VR headset. Apple also typically uses the event to preview new software for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Watch. Analysts and media reports say Apple could unveil a virtual reality headset that can also show the user the real world through high-powered cameras mounted on the device — a concept often called mixed reality. If Apple does release a headset, it will be its first major new product line since it announced the Apple Watch in 2014. Apple could also unveil updates to some of its other hardware, like the Mac line of computers, which developers use to write software for Apple's devices.

Persons: there's Organizations: Apple, Apple Watch

☆ Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes reports to prison to begin sentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes arrives to begin serving her prison sentence for defrauding investors in the failed blood-testing startup, at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, May 30, 2023. Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes reported to prison Tuesday to begin her more than 11-year sentence for defrauding investors about the capabilities of her company's blood-testing technology. The ruling followed a day after an appeals court rejected Holmes' bid to stay out of prison while she appeals her conviction. A federal jury in San Jose, California, convicted Holmes on four counts of defrauding investors in Theranos, the company she dropped out of Stanford University to found in 2003. Balwani was convicted on 12 counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

☆ Debt ceiling deal will be 'transformational' for Americans, McCarthy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. President Joe Biden hosts debt limit talks with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 22, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisHouse Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Sunday that the tentative deal House Republicans have reached with the White House to address the nation's debt ceiling will be "transformational" for the American public. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that failing to raise the debt ceiling by early June could result in "economic chaos." Some House Republicans, like Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, have been vocal critics of the deal on social media. McCarthy on Sunday encouraged members of Congress to read the bill when it's released before taking a stance.

☆ State Farm to stop accepting homeowners insurance applications in California due to wildfires, construction costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

State Farm General Insurance Company on Friday announced that it will stop accepting new homeowners insurance applications in California, citing "rapidly growing" catastrophe risks like wildfires, "historic increases" in construction costs and a challenging reinsurance market. State Farm said it will stop accepting new business, personal lines property and casualty insurance applications starting Saturday. The company said it will work with the California Department of Insurance and other policymakers to improve conditions in California, but that State Farm decided to take action to improve its "financial strength. "We will continue to evaluate our approach based on changing market conditions," State Farm said. State Farm did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

☆ Despite all odds, consumers are still traveling this summer. Here are the stocks you need to own
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Yet despite all odds, 61% of those surveyed said they plan to travel this summer, up from the 49% who said the same in summer 2021. Some 56% of adults are more likely to stay in a hotel this summer than they were in 2022, according to the AHLA/Morning Consult survey. Booking Holdings is also an analyst favorite, with an average rating of overweight and 10% upside to the average price target, per FactSet. While prices are still high, the latest consumer price index for April showed the airline fares index fell 2.6% month over month, after rising in February and March. Airlines are essentially sold out for summer travel, according to TD Cowen analyst Helane Becker.

Persons: Matt Kramer, They're, You've, Sylvia Jablonski, Kramer, Freed, Bernstein, David Vernon, Price, Robin Farley, Farley, James Hardiman, Hardiman, Josh Weinstein's, RevPar, Tony Capuano, Chris Nassetta, Biden, Hilton, they've, Airbnb, Brian Chesky, it's, Evercore, Mark Mahaney, amortization, Mahaney, Cowen, Helane Becker, Becker, — CNBC's Michael Bloom, Ashley Capoot Organizations: KPMG, KPMG Consumer, Survey, Cruise ETF, Royal, Holdings, Marriott, United Airlines, Morning, American, & Lodging Association, Cruises, UBS, Citi, CCL, CNBC, Hilton Worldwide, U.S . Travel Association, State Department, Booking Holdings, Booking, Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Copa Holdings, Panamanian, Copa Airlines Locations: United States, Royal Caribbean, United, Caribbean, CocoCay, Thursday's, China, North America, Asia, Europe

☆ Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink announces FDA approval of in-human clinical study
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Neuralink, the neurotech startup co-founded by Elon Musk, announced Thursday it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to conduct its first in-human clinical study. A BCI is a system that deciphers brain signals and translates them into commands for external technologies. But receiving FDA approval for a commercial medical device is no small task — it requires companies to successfully conduct several extremely thorough rounds of testing and data safety collection. But by receiving the go-ahead for a study with human patients, Neuralink is one step closer to market. The FDA's approval for an in-human study is a significant win for Neuralink after a series of recent hurdles at the company.

☆ Snowflake shares plunge 12% on guidance miss, acquisition of search startup Neeva
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The bulk of Snowflake sales come from product revenue, which expanded 50% year over year. Product revenue accounts for use of Snowflake's software for storing and running queries on data stored in its system. Snowflake said it anticipates product revenue will be between $620 million and $625 million in the fiscal second quarter. For the 2024 fiscal year, Snowflake called for product revenue of $2.6 billion. Snowflake also announced it plans to acquire Neeva, the privacy-focused search company co-founded by former Google executive Sridhar Ramaswamy.

Persons: Snowflake, Sridhar Ramaswamy, Benoit Dageville, Snowflake's, Dageville, CNBC's Ashley Capoot Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Refinitiv Revenue Locations: Tues, Snowflake

☆ 'Hard choices' will need to be made about which bills go unpaid if the debt ceiling is not raised, Yellen says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that "hard choices" will need to be made about which bills will go unpaid if the debt ceiling is not raised. "We're focused on raising the debt ceiling, and there will be hard choices if that doesn't occur," she told NBC's "Meet the Press." "There can be no acceptable outcomes if the debt ceiling isn't raised, regardless of what decisions we make." Lifting the debt ceiling is necessary for the government to cover spending commitments already approved by Congress and the president in order to prevent default. Yellen also warned that a debt ceiling breach could affect essential government services.

☆ Neeva, co-founded by a former Google exec, to shut down its consumer search product and focus on A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Neeva, the privacy-focused search company co-founded by former Google executive Sridhar Ramaswamy, announced Saturday that it is shutting down its consumer search engine and will focus on exploring use cases for artificial intelligence. In a blog post on the company's website, Ramaswamy and Vivek Raghunathan, another Neeva co-founder, wrote that "acquiring users has been really hard." They said this challenge, in addition to the "different economic environment," have made it clear that a business in consumer search is not sustainable. Neeva will explore use cases for generative AI and large language models in search going forward, according to the post. Neeva.com and its consumer search product will shut down over the next few weeks.

☆ Neuralink competitor Paradromics gets one step closer to FDA approval for its brain implant
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Paradromics, founded in 2015, is developing a brain implant that could help patients with severe paralysis regain their ability to communicate by deciphering their neural signals. A BCI is a system that deciphers brain signals and translates them into commands for external technologies. As of May, no BCI company has managed to clinch the FDA's final seal of approval. Paradromics' BCI, the Connexus Direct Data Interface, is an assistive communication device that translates neural signals into text or synthesized speech. An array of tiny electrodes is implanted directly into the brain tissue, where it measures and deciphers brain signals that are ultimately emitted to external devices through a transceiver that sits under the skin in the chest.

☆ Uber announces a bunch of new features, including one that lets you book rides without the app
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Uber announced several new features on Wednesday during the company's annual Go-Get product showcase. The new options include the ability to reserve a ride with a car seat, to call an Uber without the app, and to add teens to a family profile, among others. 1-833-USE-UBERUber has introduced a phone number people can call to book a ride without using the Uber app. The company said this will help people who might struggle with navigating smartphones or apps access the same "effortless" Uber experience. People in the U.S. can request a ride by speaking English or Spanish at 1-833-USE-UBER, or 1-833-873-8237.

☆ Microsoft CEO Nadella talks concerns around A.I. and its impact on jobs, education
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Lawmakers, thought leaders and developers have been puzzling over how to regulate emerging generative AI technology since it exploded into public consciousness following the release of OpenAI's viral chatbot ChatGPT late last year. The buzz around the technology has sparked a red-hot AI arms race between major tech companies like Google and Microsoft, the latter of which is a longtime partner of OpenAI. Nadella said AI development is happening quickly, but that people remain integral to the process. But Nadella said he believes AI will also create new jobs. "Steve Jobs had this beautiful, beautiful line, right, which is 'computers are like the bicycles for the mind,'" Nadella said.

☆ Satya Nadella disputes Elon Musk's claim that Microsoft controls OpenAI
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said it is "factually not correct" to claim that Microsoft controls its partner OpenAI, in an excerpt of a pre-taped interview with CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin airing Tuesday. "Look, while I have a lot of respect for Elon and all that he does, I'd just say that's factually not correct," Nadella said. Microsoft announced a multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment into OpenAI in January, which marked the third phase of the partnership between the two companies. Nadella said AI development is happening quickly but that it is important for Microsoft to capitalize on the technology and its promise. Nadella's full interview with Sorkin will be streamed Tuesday on NBC News Now and Peacock at 10:30 p.m.

☆ Top Apple analyst says iPhone 16 Pro will get an even bigger screen and new periscope camera
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ming-Chi Kuo, a renowned Apple analyst, said in a blog post Tuesday that he predicts that a bigger screen and a periscope camera will be features of the iPhone 16 Pro. Kuo said that the iPhone 16 Pro's display will be "slightly larger" than the screens on the current iPhone 14 Pro and the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro. A periscope camera offers improved zoom capabilities, and Kuo said he expects the iPhone 16 Pro and the even larger iPhone 16 Pro Max to have them. Kuo's comments echo another industry analyst, Ross Young, who said that the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will get bigger screens. When another user guessed that the iPhone 16 Pro would increase from 6.1 to 6.4 inches, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max would increase from 6.7 to 6.9 inches, Young replied "close."

“If you can understand the role, the protein structure and role, now you can start developing drugs around that,” Maniar said. Scientists can take around 12 months just to identify a biological target, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Google Cloud’s suite has a three-pronged approach for making that process more efficient. The final component of Google Cloud’s suite helps researchers identify how the protein’s structure interacts with different molecules. But Renger said the company will be able to weed out molecules faster using Google Cloud's suite.

☆ Meta unveils A.I. 'testing playground' to help advertisers build campaigns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Meta on Thursday announced several new tools and services, powered by artificial intelligence, to help advertisers efficiently build ads and improve campaign results. At an event in New York, Meta unveiled the AI Sandbox, which it called a "testing playground" for advertisers to use as they try out new generative AI-powered ad tools. Meta said Thursday that it's been working with a small group of advertisers on three AI Sandbox tools so far: text variation, background generation and image outcropping. Text variation generates several versions of an advertiser's copy, giving it the option to choose which might work best for certain audiences. The background generation tool also relies on text, using inputs to create images that advertisers can use as the background of their material.

☆ Airbnb drops on cautious outlook as CEO says customers want 'affordability'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(Photo Illustration by Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)"With inflation, people are more focused than ever on affordability," he said. CEO Brian Chesky told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" Wednesday that Airbnb is being cautious about its second quarter because of affordability pressure it is experiencing in North America. Shares of Airbnb tumbled 10% Wednesday, a day after the company released its first-quarter report that offered slightly weaker-than-expected guidance and a cautious outlook for the current quarter. In its first quarter, Airbnb beat analyst estimates on top and bottom lines, and total revenue rose 20% year over year. Analysts at Bernstein said the company posted a "solid enough" quarter despite the challenges it is anticipating in its second quarter.

☆ Shares of Unity pop on revenue beat, rosy forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Unity Software popped more than 11% in extended trading Wednesday after the company released first-quarter earnings that beat analysts' expectations for revenue and raised its full-year revenue forecast. Unity said it expects to report $510 million to $520 million in second-quarter revenue, above analyst estimates of $509 million. For the full year, Unity said it expects between $2.08 to $2.2 billion in revenue. The company said it increased the low-end of its revenue guide by $30 million after considering its "stronger than expected" first quarter. "We expect these decisions will make Unity stronger, and set us up for even stronger long-term profitable growth," the company said of the layoffs Wednesday.

☆ Airbnb drops 10% after earnings report offers cautious outlook for Q2
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Here's how the company did:EPS: 18 cents vs. 9 cents expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. 18 cents vs. 9 cents expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. Revenue: $1.82 billion vs. $1.79 billion expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. Airbnb reported $117 million in net income for the quarter, up from a net loss of $19 million a year earlier. Gross booking value, which Airbnb uses to track host earnings, service fees, cleaning fees and taxes, totaled $20.4 billion in the first quarter.

☆ Palantir soars 25% on earnings beat and prediction of full-year profitability
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Palantir rose as much as 28% in extended trading Monday after the company released first-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates and said it expects to be profitable through the end of the year. The software company, which is known for its work with the government, said its US commercial customer count increased 50% year over year, growing from 103 customers to 155. Last quarter, Palantir marked its first ever quarter of positive net income on a GAAP basis, at $31 million. Palantir said it expects to report between $528 million and $532 million in revenue during its second quarter, and between $2.19 billion and $2.24 billion for the full year. Karp added that artificial intelligence presents "real" risks, so he said Palantir's software is designed with human involvement and oversight in mind.

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