DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ An OpenAI mystery: YouTube videos, Google throttling, and AI training data.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Alistair Barr | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe AI community assumes that OpenAI uses vast quantities of YouTube videos to train models, including its new Sora offering. The mystery is how OpenAI accesses enough YouTube content to make this work. Business Insider asked OpenAI whether it has downloaded YouTube videos at scale and whether the startup uses this content as data for AI model training. Google, OpenAI, and other tech companies are currently arguing that using copyrighted content for AI model training is also legal. And when pressed again about sources of training data, Murati replied, "I'm not going to go into the details."

Persons: —, OpenAI, Mira Murati, Sora, I'm, Murati, Axel Springer, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Service, YouTube, Business, Google, Microsoft, Street

☆ We asked ChatGPT and Claude to analyze Biden's cognitive abilities based on the Joe Biden-Robert Hur transcript. Their verdict: the president is doing fine.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewPresident Joe Biden's cognitive abilities may be better than some say they are — at least according to two AI chatbots. Some who analyzed it said Hur's claims about Biden's memory issues were overstated. And both chatbots' verdicts were that Biden's cognitive abilities are just fine. "These aspects are essential indicators of cognitive abilities and suggest that he could perform cognitively demanding tasks during the interview." AdvertisementWhen it came to Biden's memory, ChatGPT found that he displayed memory recall by describing interactions and processes related to handling classified documents with context.

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Robert Hur, Hur, Biden, Beau, Beau died, Claude Pro, ChatGPT, Claude, Anthropic, didn't, Axel Springer Organizations: Service, Business, CNET

☆ TikTok Is Its Own Worst Enemy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Kevin Roose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I was really rooting for TikTok. In 2020, when the Trump administration first tried to force TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the app or risk having it shut down, I argued that banning TikTok in the United States would do more harm than good. If the Chinese government wanted to snoop on Americans through their smartphones, it wouldn’t have to use TikTok to do it. It could buy troves of information from a data broker, thanks to America’s nonexistent federal data privacy laws. And I’m still worried that banning TikTok would be a huge gift to U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google, which own TikTok’s largest competitors — Facebook, Instagram and YouTube — further entrenching winners in a market that already has too little competition.

Persons: Trump, I’m, snoop Organizations: Meta, Google, Facebook, YouTube Locations: United States

☆ TikTok ban: Tech VC Keith Rabois threatens Republicans with funding halt ahead of House vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"Will never fund any Republican candidates or leadership PACs (or the NRSC) run by Republicans who vote against the TikTok legislation," venture capitalist Keith Rabois wrote on X. "Support for the TikTok bill is an IQ test" for members of Congress, Rabois wrote in an email to CNBC. In February, Rabois gave $500,000 to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a political action committee that backs House Republican candidates, according to a Federal Election Commission filing. A managing director at Khosla Ventures, Rabois gave just over $41,000 combined last year to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Rabois said that whether or not he continues to support the NRCC will be partly tied to how Republican leadership handles the upcoming vote.

Persons: Keith Rabois, Will, ByteDance's, Rabois, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Chuck Schumer, ByteDance, Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise, Tom Emmer, TikTok Organizations: Khosla Ventures, TechCrunch, San Francisco Design Center, Republicans, CNBC, Congressional, Fund, Republican, Tesla, Senate, Democrat, National Republican, Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, CCP Locations: San Francisco , California, United States, China, American, La

☆ Reddit's long-awaited IPO is targeting a $6.4 billion valuation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Aruni Soni | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Reddit is targeting a $6.4 billion valuation for its IPO this year. The company is planning to sell 22 million shares, with a pricing range of $31 to $34. At the top end of the valuation range, the offering would raise $748 million. About 15.3 million of the 22 million shares will be sold by the company. Reddit's expected pricing range sets a fully diluted valuation range between $5.8 billion and $6.4 billion, marking a sharp decrease from the $10 billion private valuation the company achieved in its last funding round, in August 2021.

Persons: —, Reddit Organizations: Service, SEC, GameStop, AMC Locations: Birkenstock

☆ Morgan Stanley's car guru has a new under-the-radar pick that benefits from EV industry setbacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Morgan Stanley has a stock in mind for investors looking to profit as the electric vehicle industry attempts to overcome some hurdles: Phinia . PHIN 1D mountain Phinia shares rise after Morgan Stanley initiates coverage Shares rose 4% on Monday. "With approximately 100% FCF conversion and an 8 to 9% combined cash return yield, PHIN is our preferred risk/reward amongst US suppliers." Underpinning the firm's "ICE is Nice" thesis is the expectation for a slower-than-expected adoption of battery electric vehicles, as the industry grapples with a slew of "underappreciated" geopolitical, environmental and economic hurdles, Jonas wrote. "A stable top-line, above-peer margins, minimal leverage… this is a free cash flow story, augmented by cash return," he wrote.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, Morgan Stanley's, Jonas Organizations: ICE, EV Locations: BorgWarner, U.S

☆ House committee unanimously supports forcing TikTok divestiture
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Emily Wilkins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A bipartisan panel of lawmakers unanimously approved a controversial bill on Thursday that could lead to TikTok being blocked in the U.S. if it doesn't break with Chinese parent ByteDance. The committee voted 50-0 to advance the bill to the full House or Representatives. On the app, they were greeted with a screenshot warning them that Congress was "planning a total ban of TikTok." "Today, it's about our bill and it's about intimidating members considering that bill," said Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wi., chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. WATCH: Biden campaign joins TikTok despite ban of app on government phones

Persons: TikTok, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden, Lawmakers, Mike Gallagher, Biden Organizations: U.S, Lawmakers, Energy, Commerce Committee, National Security, American Civil Liberties Union, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Center for Democracy & Technology, CNBC, Chinese Communist Party Locations: U.S, ByteDance, China

☆ TikTok: House panel unanimously approves bill that could ban app from US app stores
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

If enacted, the bill would give ByteDance 165 days, or a little more than five months, to sell TikTok. The legislation also has the support of the White House and House Speaker Mike Johnson. House lawmakers voted unanimously in the same session Thursday to advance a second bill, one that would limit US companies’ ability to sell Americans’ personal information to foreign adversaries. Speaking to reporters on the Capitol steps Thursday, Gallagher rejected characterizations of the bill as a TikTok ban. A legislative factsheet from the sponsors of the House bill claims the proposal does not censor speech.

Persons: ”, TikTok, Shou Chew, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Frank Pallone, “, ” Pallone, Shou Zi Chew, Jose Luis Magana, Mike Gallagher, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise, Washington Sen, Maria Cantwell, ” Cantwell, Gallagher, “ It’s, Dan Crenshaw, It’s, ” Crenshaw, snoop, ByteDance, Trump, Tom Williams, —, “ We’re, Jenna Leventoff, Stephanie Joyce, ” CNN’s Haley Talbot, Melanie Zanona Organizations: Washington CNN, TikTok, House Energy, Commerce, Apple, Google, “, Washington Republican, New, New Jersey Rep, Capitol, Wisconsin Republican, Illinois Democratic Rep, White, Senate, Democratic, Washington, CNN, Chinese Communist Party, Texas Republican, Oracle, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Computer and Communications Industry Association, Foreign Locations: China, New Jersey, Washington, United States, Beijing, State, Rayburn, Montana

☆ How Hedge Funds Are Betting on Electricity and the Changing Power Grid
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Alex Morrell | Bradley Saacks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

A onetime commodities backwater, congestion trading has become a growing business in recent years as the demand for electricity and volatility on the power grid in the US has soared. The financial category, which includes specialized power-trading companies, banks, hedge funds, and large proprietary trading firms, dominates the market, in part because the physical power firms typically operate in only one or two regions. He launched three congestion trading teams for the firm, including in California and Texas after those states introduced congestion trading in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Citadel, along with Susquehanna International Group and Tower Research, has been involved in FTR trading since the market's infancy. Volatility has been increasing on the power grid, in part because of changing weather patterns, Jeev added.

Persons: Kumar Jeev, Jane Street, Richard Roseblade, who's, There's, Roseblade, Bill Clark, Jeev, DC Energy's Tyler Kuhn, DRW, California Al Seib, Brevan Howard, Jane, Stephanie Staska, Staska, couldn't, Joe Biden's, It's, Meredith Angwin, Angwin Organizations: Business, Capital, Midwest, Citadel, Tower Research, Yes Energy, Energy, Anadolu, Getty, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, Nasdaq, York Stock Exchange, Nvidia, Johns Hopkins University, DC Energy, Wayfair, Squarepoint, Appian, Boston Energy, Susquehanna International Group, DC, Bloomberg, Commodities, Traders, Wall Street, Workers, GreenHat Energy, JPMorgan, Hill Energy Resource & Services, P, Grid, & $ Locations: Wall, East Coast, DRW, Susquehanna, FTRs, New York, Canada, Texas, Virginia, California, Berlin, Chicago, Oregon, California Al, Ukraine, Russian, Uri, Northern Virginia

☆ Google halts AI tool’s ability to produce images of people after backlash over historically inaccurate depictions of race
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The embarrassing blunder shows how AI tools still struggle with the concept of race. Google’s attempt to overcome this, however, appears to have backfired and made it difficult for the AI chatbot to generate images of White people. Gemini, like other AI tools such as ChatGPT, is trained on vast troves of online data. Experts have long warned that AI tools therefore have the potential to replicate the racial and gender biases baked into that information. This screen grab shows CNN asking Google Gemini to create an AI-generated image of a "White farmer in the South" and the tool's response.

Persons: OpenAI’s Dall, Gemini, Clare Duffy, ”, “, Jack Krawczyk, Bard, James Webb Organizations: New, New York CNN, Google, CNN, White, Tech, Gemini, James Webb Space Telescope Locations: New York, White, Dublin ”

☆ AI marketing startup Alembic just raised $14 million from Jeffrey Katzenberg's WndrCo and revealed Nvidia as a customer
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Companies spend billions on marketing every year, but the question remains whether these campaigns translate into profits. San Francisco-based startup Alembic is employing big data techniques developed for contact tracing during the pandemic to answer those questions. The company today announced a $14 million Series A that included Jeffery Katzenberg, NFL-star-turned-VC Joe Montana, and Braze co-founder Mark Ghermezian. But recent advances in AI and big data technology, he says, have made it possible to track the impact of marketing spend on a granular level, in real time. Puig says the company currently has about a dozen customers, including trillion-dollar chipmaker Nvidia, which is using the technology to guide its marketing efforts.

Persons: Crypto.com, Dunkin, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Jeffery Katzenberg, Joe Montana, Braze, Mark Ghermezian, Katzenberg, Tomas Puig, epidemiologists, Puig, Jensen Huang, it's Organizations: Mastercard, PGA, Business, Walt Disney Studios, DreamWorks, Nvidia Locations: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Covid

☆ Australia PM Backs Parliament Motion Calling for Julian Assange's Release
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The motion, moved by independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie, was passed on Wednesday with 86 votes in favour and 42 against after it was supported by the Labor government. "(The motion) will send a powerful political signal to the British government and to the U.S. government," Wilkie told parliament ahead of the vote. Assange's supporters say he has been victimised because he exposed U.S. wrongdoing and potential crimes, including in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Washington says the release of the secret documents put lives in danger. Australia's Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Assange's extradition was raised in a meeting with his U.S. counterpart Merrick Garland in Washington last month.

Persons: Renju Jose SYDNEY, Anthony Albanese, Julian Assange, Andrew Wilkie, Wilkie, Assange, Albanese, Mark Dreyfus, Merrick Garland, Dreyfus, Renju Jose, Jamie Freed Organizations: Australia's, WikiLeaks, London's, Labor, ., Britain, Australian Broadcasting Corp, U.S Locations: Australia, United States, Australian, Britain, Afghanistan, Iraq, Washington, Sydney

☆ Don’t ‘surreptitiously’ use Americans’ data to train AI, FTC warns businesses
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —US companies may find themselves under federal scrutiny if they “quietly” try to funnel customers’ personal information into training artificial intelligence models, the government warned this week. The warning by the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s top privacy and consumer protection agency, highlights the enormous value of Americans’ personal data. “You may have heard that ‘data is the new oil,’” the agency said, referencing an adage describing the way personal information is a critical input powering the machinery of Big Tech. “There is perhaps no data refinery as large-capacity and as data-hungry as AI.”Many companies disclose how they use customer or user information in their privacy policies. But simply updating a privacy policy to say that a company will now use personal data collected for other purposes to train AI isn’t transparent enough and could violate the law, the FTC said.

Persons: “, Gary Gensler Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Netflix, Big Tech, FTC, Securities and Exchange Commission

☆ Congress hasn’t been able to make social media safer. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

This has been true since the early 2010s, when tech companies began realizing the benefits of influencing policymakers on issues including net neutrality and privacy. This week, Microsoft announced its support for the Kids Online Safety Act, a leading social media bill. Even when lawmakers can agree on what the problem is, they often disagree on how to solve it, creating a smorgasbord of half a dozen or more social media bills floating around Congress. That would be a huge down payment on a future social media law, said Balkam. But even that proposal is still subject to many of the same dynamics that make social media regulation hard.

Persons: Washington CNN —, ”, Danny Weiss, Ben Thompson, Adam Kovacevich, “ That’s, hasn’t, Republican stonewalling, Weiss, Kovacevich, ” Kovacevich, I’m, ” Weiss, Chuck Schumer, Mike Johnson, Schumer, Nancy Pelosi’s, “, Johnson didn’t, Evan Greer Organizations: Washington CNN, Big Tech, Tech, Sense, Microsoft, Kids, LinkedIn, of, Republican, CNN Locations: Washington, United States

Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesMicrosoft’s years-long relationship with OpenAI is the best known of the partnerships. Google and Amazon have more recently made multibillion-dollar deals with Anthropic, another San Francisco-based AI startup formed by former leaders at OpenAI. The European Union and the United Kingdom have already signaled that they might also scrutinize the relationship with Microsoft and OpenAI. Antitrust advocates welcomed the actions from both the FTC and Europe into the deals that some have derided as quasi-mergers. The companies have 45 days to provide information to the FTC that includes their partnership agreements and the strategic rationale behind them.

Persons: OpenAI, ”, Lina Khan, Khan, Microsoft didn't, Matt Stoller, Satya Nadella, Kara Swisher, Sam Altman, Nadella, “, ” Nadella, Altman’s, It’s, They’re, Kelvin Chan Organizations: Google, Microsoft, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Anthropic, OpenAI, European Union, Antitrust, Big Tech, American Economic Liberties, “, Intel, Bloomberg, Economic Locations: San Francisco, United Kingdom, Europe, OpenAI, Davos, Redmond , Washington, Iowa, Switzerland, London

☆ When the broker is a chatbot: How AI will shake up commercial real estate.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Brokers, Davies noted, normally "don't play with this" and the high-placed executive was "just really entertained." He believes AI assistants will become a common tool for salespeople and executives across real estate and the wider business world. Even boosters of the new tech's expanded role in the real-estate business acknowledge that chatbots could become viewed as a nuisance, a gimmick, or worse. "This is and always will be a relationship driven business," Dirkschneider said. But "the more advanced AI becomes, the less some of our services are needed, and that's what can get scary."

Persons: Chris Davies, Davies, Davies's chatbot, —, " Davies, flexibly, Rod Santomassimo, he's, Santomassimo, CBRE, Sandeep Davé, Davé, haven't, James Nelson, Nelson, Bob Knakal, Santomassimo's, David Dirkschneider, Dirkschneider, Dirkschneider doesn't Organizations: Business, Massimo Group, National Association of Realtors, NAR, New York, Oklahoma City Locations: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, CBRE –, New, New York City, Oklahoma

☆ How Group Chats Rule the World
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Sophie Haigney | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

We often get glimpses of such group chats in court filings, the familiar blue-and-white bubbles of iMessage screenshotted and laid out as evidence. I know of a group chat in which, among other things, a group of successful men trade investment tips and even function sometimes as a de facto investment group. You have to wonder what was being said in this “200+ tech founders” group chat before the bank run. The dynamics of group chats — who is in them, who is not — might seem like the adult version of kids’ jockeying for a lunch table. One of my favorite group chats, now defunct, was among me and two friends I was suddenly becoming closer to.

Persons: I’m, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, he’d, ” Ingraham, “, ”, people’s, Sam Bankman, Fried, —, ’, someone’s Organizations: Systems, Fox News, Trump, MSNBC, Australian Financial, Valley Bank, Twitter, Spotify Locations: Hayes Valley

The proposal to classify AI systems by four levels of risk — from minimal to unacceptable — was essentially intended as product safety legislation. That changed with the boom in generative AI, which sparked wonder by composing music, creating images and writing essays resembling human work. Foundation models give generative AI systems such as ChatGPT the ability to create something new, unlike traditional AI, which processes data and completes tasks using predetermined rules. Resistance to government rules for these AI systems came from an unlikely place: France, Germany and Italy. “The race should be for the best AI regulations, not the first AI regulations."

Persons: —, Bard chatbot, “ Rather, won’t, ”, Nick Reiners, “ there’s, Reiners, Sam Altman, Thierry Breton, ” Reiners, Kent Walker, Iverna McGowan, McGowan, Altman, OpenAI, Alpha, it's, ” Dragos, “, “ We’re Organizations: European Union, Eurasia Group, European Commission, Microsoft, Mistral, Elon, Center for Democracy and Technology, EU Locations: European, U.S, China, Brussels, France, Germany, Italy, Europe, German, Romanian

☆ Nashville's startup scene is booming. Here's why investors and founders are moving to 'Music City'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 1, 2019: Tourists visit the bars and country music venues in the Lower Broadway entertainment district in Nashville, Tennessee. As more investors and founders are flocking to explore Nashville's booming health care and technology scene, Shah said he gets recognized regularly. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesNicknamed "Music City," Nashville is chock-full of country singers and perpetually buzzing with live music. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images) Robert Alexander | Archive Photos | Getty ImagesNashville's health tech startup scene has also benefited from significant investment from local organizers and government officials. Eligible Nashville entrepreneurs can also become members of the Greater Nashville Technology Council and the Nashville Health Care Council.

Persons: Robert Alexander, Robin Shah, Shah, Pavlo Gonchar, Kyle Cooksey, Bill Frist, Cooksey, John Bass, Bass, Ellen Herlacher, Luke Benda, it's, Cerner, It's, Vanderbilt, Marcus Whitney, Whitney, Benda, Landon Gibbs, Gibbs, Raelyn Wilson, Wilson Organizations: Tourists, Broadway, Getty, Thyme, CNBC, Nashville, Nashville Health Care, Healthcare, HCA, Community Health Systems, Acadia Healthcare, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Belmont University, Meharry Medical, Monogram Health, Downtown, Istock, Amazon, Oracle, Bank, Greater Nashville Venture Capital Association, Center, Nashville Area, of Commerce, Force, Ventures, Greater, Greater Nashville Technology Council, Nashville Health Care Council, HCA Healthcare Locations: NASHVILLE , TENNESSEE, Nashville , Tennessee, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, Nashville, UKRAINE, U.S, Acadia, Downtown Nashville , Tennessee, Music City, Rocky, Colorado, Boston, Greater Nashville, Cumberland

The logo of Amazon is seen at the company's logistics centre in Boves, France, October 6, 2021 REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators said on Monday Amazon's (AMZN.O) $1.4 billion acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot (IRBT.O) may squeeze out rival robot cleaners on its online marketplace. The EU competition enforcer said Amazon's online marketplace is an important channel for robot vacuum cleaners (RVCs) in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. "iRobot, which faces intense competition from other vacuum cleaner suppliers, offers practical and inventive products. We believe Amazon can offer a company like iRobot the resources to accelerate innovation and invest in critical features while lowering prices for consumers," the company said. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pascal, Foo Yun Chee, David Evans Organizations: Rights, Amazon, Big Tech, European Commission, EU, Commission, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Boves, France, Rights BRUSSELS, Germany, Italy, Spain

The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics center in Lauwin-Planque, northern France, January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) is set to win unconditional EU antitrust approval for its $1.4 billion acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot (IRBT.O), three people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The Commission, which is due to decide on the deal by Feb. 14, declined to comment. The deal announced in August would add iRobot's Roomba robot vacuum to U.S. online retail giant Amazon's portfolio of smart devices, includes the Alexa voice assistant, smart thermostats, security devices and wall-mounted smart displays. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee Editing by Mark Potter and David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pascal, Foo Yun, Mark Potter, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Big Tech, European Commission, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Lauwin, France, Rights BRUSSELS

☆ United Airlines Weighs Using Passenger Data to Sell Targeted Ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Patience Haggin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

United is among the largest airlines in the U.S., having flown 148 million passengers last year. Photo: David Zalubowski/Associated PressUnited Airlines is considering using its passenger information to help brands serve targeted ads to its customers, joining a growing number of companies trying to tap their troves of user data for advertising purposes. Some of these targeted ads could appear on its in-flight entertainment system or on the app that people use to book tickets and check-in, people familiar with the matter said. United hasn’t made a decision yet and may choose not to launch a targeted-advertising business, some of the people said.

Persons: David Zalubowski, hasn’t Organizations: Associated Press United Airlines Locations: U.S

☆ Tencent says it stockpiled Nvidia AI chips but seeks Chinese replacements
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Tencent rushed to build up “one of the largest inventories of AI chips in China” before US export restrictions took hold, an executive said Wednesday. It is one of the chipmaker’s advanced AI chips designed for use in data centers, the physical facilities used to store troves of electronic information. In late October, Nvidia disclosed that the just-announced restrictions had come into effect “immediately,” weeks earlier than scheduled. “Going forward, we will have to figure out ways to make … the usage of our AI chips more efficient,” namely by working to retain most of the company’s high-performance chips for training the model, he added. The bot was developed specifically for corporate users, allowing them to catch up on meetings by viewing automated summaries or put together documents more efficiently, Lau told analysts.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Tencent, Martin Lau, ”, ” Lau, Tencent, “, Biden, Kai, Fu Lee, Lau Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Nvidia, Bloomberg, Sinovation Ventures, Huawei, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation Locations: China, Hong Kong, China ”, United States, Beijing, Washington, Shenzhen

☆ Synopsys, Microsoft team up for a chip-design assistant
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But Synopsys (SNPS.O) on Wednesday said it has worked with Microsoft to create its own Copilot to help with designing computer chips. Synopsys trained the system on huge troves of data it has accumulated over decades in business to help with that. "But if you're not generating (chip design work) that is over 99.9% accurate, you're introducing a bug in your chip, which is worth hundreds of millions of dollars." Fixing bugs is one of the lengthiest and costliest parts of the chip design process. Microsoft said it has already started to test the Synopsys system with its own chip design teams, which on Wednesday unveiled the company's first in-house data center chips.

Persons: Steve Marcus, Synopsys, Shankar Krishnamoorthy, Krishnamoorthy, Erik Berg, Stephen Nellis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, Wednesday, San, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, San Francisco

☆ US senators demand documents from Meta over its handling of teen mental health
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —A group of US senators is demanding that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hand over troves of emails and documents that could show how the company handled the knowledge that its platforms could harm the mental health of teens. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter. Meta spokesman Andy Stone said that the company is in touch with the members who signed the letter. The letter further accuses Meta of showing an “apparent willful disregard” for young people’s well-being, of “misrepresentations to Congress” and of “profiting from threats” to user safety. The letter requests a response by Nov. 30 and calls for Meta to provide its correspondence related to Bejar’s warnings to executives, as well as senior leaders’ own correspondence with Zuckerberg about proposed investments in user well-being.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, ”, Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal, Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn, Dick Durbin, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham ; Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren, Missouri Republican Josh Hawley, Meta, Arturo Bejar, Andrea Joy Campbell, didn’t, Andy Stone, people’s, ’ Organizations: Washington CNN, Facebook, Connecticut Democrat, Tennessee Republican, South Carolina Republican, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham ; Massachusetts Democrat, Missouri Republican, Meta Locations: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Tennessee, Illinois, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham ; Massachusetts, Missouri

Search resuls for: "troves"

25 mentions found