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☆ Spotify listeners cross half a billion mark
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 8 (Reuters) - Spotify Technology SA (SPOT.N) said on Wednesday it would roll out new features like smart shuffle and previews of podcasts and music playlists on its audio streaming platform, as it crossed 500 million in monthly active listeners. Spotify also shared an update to its annual music royalties report, noting that the number of artists making over $1 million as well as those generating over $10,000 had more than doubled in the past five years. Earlier this year, Spotify said it would tighten spending and work to become efficient given the tough macroeconomic backdrop and projected the number of listeners would reach 500 million in the current quarter. Features like autoplay for podcasts, personalized visual and audio previews of podcast episodes and audiobooks or music playlists, and new feeds for discovery will be rolled out in waves starting Wednesday, Spotify said. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A startup raised $79 million for its open smart-locker network. Check out the pitch deck it used to raise the funds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Maybrit Martschin | Nathan Rennolds | Business Insider Deutschland | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Myflexbox is an Austrian startup that offers a smart-locker network. The company uses an open API to connect operating systems from different delivery providers. Insider has an exclusive copy of the pitch deck it used to raise 75 million euros. To help them achieve this, the founders recently secured 75 million euros, or about $79 million, in new funding. Insider has an exclusive copy of the pitch deck it used to raise the funds.

☆ Get ready to post on Slack with ChatGPT. The viral AI chatbot is coming to the popular workplace messaging app.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Salesforce is giving its Slack workplace messaging app the ChatGPT boost that can speed up posting. Microsoft shook up its Bing search engine last month with an OpenAI-powered chatbot that transfixed users. The tool would help users write faster, review outlines of longer Slack chats, and mine channels for information, according to the company. Salesforce also said its AI tool called "Einstein GPT" will help clients use AI-generated content for customer service and marketing purposes. The company said that Slack users will have "granular controls" over access to data, and that ChatGPT's model won't learn from Slack data.

☆ China to form a national bureau to manage its troves of data
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, March 7 (Reuters) - China will form a national data bureau that will be responsible for coordinating the sharing and development of the country's data resources, according to a plan submitted on Tuesday to parliament. The proposed bureau will be administrated by the state planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the plan said. This has included issuing a series of new laws that require organisations with large user bases undergo assessments and obtain approvals when handling data. Some firms are struggling with a deadline requiring them to seek approval to export user data. "Multinationals will no doubt want to understand how a centralised data regulator will interface with overseas stakeholders."

☆ Twitter breaks after 'internal change' had 'unintended consequences'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter showed an error code when users attempted to click external links and images. ET, the external links appeared to be working again for some Twitter users. Twitter showed users an error code when they tried to access outside websites on Monday. ET, the external links appeared to be working for some Twitter users. Downdetector showed a spike in people reporting problems with the app and "Twitter API" was trending on Monday afternoon.

☆ Forget ChatGPT, the AI Revolution Is Coming to Fix Your Email Inbox
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Shubham Agarwal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Like any tech, AI tools can run into bugs. On many occasions, Shortwave's summary tool refused to produce more than a sentence or two, leaving it no more useful than the subject line. A more-pressing concern for me, however, is what the presence of AI in email would mean for privacy. Because tech like ChatGPT collects and processes far more data than previous AI tools, Conitzer expects it to be regulated for not only privacy but also systemic biases. And if Shortwave's AI tool is any indication, I'm convinced it's our future.

☆ Mapping California’s ‘Zombie’ Forests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

NEVADA Sacramento Stable conifer forests San Francisco Mismatch Less than five percent of conifer forests historically occurred in current climate. Sacramento Stable conifer forests Mismatch San Francisco Less than five percent of conifer forests historically occurred in current climate. San Jose Fresno CALIFORNIA Pacific Ocean NEVADA Bakersfield Area of detail CALIF. 50 MILES Reno NEVADA Sacramento Severe mismatch Stable conifer forests Less than one percent of conifer forests historically occurred in current climate. Note: The data looks at changes in conifer forests across the Sierra Nevada between the 1930s and the 2010s. They found that during that time period, the Sierra Nevada’s conifer forests had, on average, shifted about 112 feet higher in elevation.

☆ Meta VP tells staff to make the metaverse 'so obviously successful' that his dad stops calling every week to ask about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Meta VP told staff to "buckle down" and "build great products" for the metaverse, per The Verge. Only one in 10 users reportedly come back to its Horizon metaverse platform after a month. The VP reportedly said he wants the metaverse and VR to be "so obviously successful that my dad stops calling me every week to ask" about it. "And please, let's make the metaverse and VR so obviously successful that my dad stops calling me every week to ask me about it," he reportedly added. But only time will tell if Meta's products will keep users active in the metaverse.

☆ Reid Hoffman steps down from OpenAI board to avoid potential conflicts of interest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LinkedIn founder and Greylock partner Reid Hoffman is leaving the nonprofit board of OpenAI, he announced in a post on Friday. Hoffman cited a desire to invest in companies using OpenAI's software, which could cause a conflict of interest, he said in the post. To be clear, since the start, OpenAI and its board has been very careful to monitor and avoid any conflicts to date," Hoffman wrote. Earlier this week, it said it would charge companies using its AI about one-fifth of one cent to produce about 750 words. Previously, Tesla CEO Elon Musk left OpenAI's board in 2018.

☆ WHO still working to identify the origins of COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, March 3 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is still working to identify the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, its director general said on Friday, after a U.S. agency was reported to have assessed the pandemic had likely been caused by a Chinese laboratory leak. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the U.S. Energy Department had concluded the pandemic likely arose from a Chinese laboratory leak, an assessment Beijing denies. "I wish to be very clear that WHO has not abandoned any plans to identify the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic," Tedros said. Four other U.S. agencies, along with a national intelligence panel, still think COVID-19 was likely the result of natural transmission, while two are undecided, the Journal reported. On Friday, she urged countries, institutions and research groups that might have any information on the origins of the pandemic to share it with the international community.

☆ Tesla's investor day showed it is 'one generation ahead' of rival automakers in EV race, former Ford CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former Ford CEO Mark Fields saw Tesla's investor day as reaffirming the automaker's reign over the EV industry. Though the event lacked details on new models, it demonstrated the company's leadership in key areas, he told CNBC. The keys to winning the EV race will come down to product appeal, software or user interface, controlling cost, and consistent execution, he said. "And Tesla right now is one generation ahead of the other automakers," Fields said, though rivals like Ford and Hyundai are making a lot of progress. However, Fields predicted that the EV industry will eventually have no one leader as the market continues to strengthen.

☆ U.S. regulators rejected Elon Musk’s bid to test brain chips in humans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Musk’s missed deadlines for FDA approval of Neuralink July 2019:Musk says Neuralink is aiming to receive regulatory approval for human trials of brain implants by the end of 2020. “Everybody in the industry was saying: ‘Oh my God, they’re going to run straight into a brick wall,’” Ludwig said of Musk’s bid for FDA approval. For example, NeuroPace, which makes the brain implant to treat epilepsy, received final FDA approval in 2013 – 16 years after the company’s launch. The FDA’s concerns about the battery are also potentially serious, experts in brain devices said. Still, that proposal disappointed Neuralink because it could delay progress toward final FDA approval, one of the sources said.

☆ U.S. regulators rejected Elon Musk’s bid to test brain chips in humans, citing safety risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Rachael Levy | Marisa Taylor | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

Companies that do secure human-testing approval typically conduct at least two rounds of trials before applying for FDA approval to commercially market a device. "Everybody in the industry was saying: 'Oh my God, they're going to run straight into a brick wall,'" Ludwig said of Musk's bid for FDA approval. For example, NeuroPace, which makes the brain implant to treat epilepsy, received final FDA approval in 2013 – 16 years after the company's launch. Beyond grants, it provides access to government experts who advise on how to gain FDA approval and commercialize a device. Musk's emails to Neuralink staffers often come from his SpaceX address, said two people who reviewed them.

☆ Elon Musk's bid to implant brain chip into humans was reportedly rejected by feds over safety risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The FDA rejected Neuralink's request for approval to begin testing its brain chips in humans, Reuters reported. The agency cited dozens of issues with the device, including concerns it could overheat or move in the brain. Elon Musk has been promising the company will soon begin testing on humans since 2019. Reuters said the FDA identified "dozens of issues" Neuralink must remedy before it could begin human testing in the US. The firm plans to implant chips into human brains, which would allow people to perform tasks using only their mind.

☆ Instacart Joins ChatGPT Frenzy, Adding Chatbot To Grocery Shopping App
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Instacart’s new search tool, “Ask Instacart,” will tap data from more than 1.5 million products stocked by some 75,000 grocery stores, said JJ Zhuang, the company’s chief architect. Mr. Zhuang described the software integration as “experimenting with what’s possible” using ChatGPT on Instacart’s app. OpenAI, a San Francisco-based software startup launched in 2015, has sought to expand its reach by easing the process of integrating ChatGPT software with outside apps. Microsoft Corp. , an OpenAI investor, last month added ChatGPT technology to its Bing search engine. Mr. Brockman said it is important for companies to consider the stakes involved in the way they plan to use ChatGPT technology.

☆ Why you’re about to see ChatGPT in more of your apps
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

OpenAI is opening up access to its ChatGPT tool to third-party businesses, paving the way for the viral AI chatbot to be integrated into numerous apps and services. Instacart, Snap and tutor app Quizlet are among the early partners experimenting with adding ChatGPT. The initial batch of companies tapping into OpenAI’s API each have slightly different visions for how to incorporate ChatGPT. Dating website OkCupid has already experimented with using ChatGPT to write matching questions. Some school systems, such as in New York and Seattle, banned the use of ChatGPT in the classroom over concerns about students cheating.

☆ SoftBank, Ant discuss to sell Paytm stake via block deal - ET
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] The interface of Indian payments app Paytm is seen in front of its logo displayed in this illustration picture taken July 7, 2021. REUTERS/Florence Lo/IllustrationFeb 27 (Reuters) - China's Ant Group and Japan's SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) have discussed selling stake in One 97 Communications, which operatesIndian digital payments firm Paytm (PAYT.NS), through a block deal, the Economic Times newspaper reported on Monday. SoftBank, Ant Group, Paytm and Bharti Airtel did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comments. Ant and SoftBank are likely to offload shares gradually in the market as part of their plan to exit Paytm, the report said. China's Alibaba Group (9988.HK) earlier this month sold its remaining stake in Paytm for about 13.78 billion rupees.

☆ It's not just you: Cybercriminals are also using ChatGPT to make their jobs easier
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

ChatGPT can quickly generate targeted phishing emails or malicious code for malware attacks. AI companies could be held liable for chatbots counseling criminals since Section 230 may not apply. Sergey Shykevich, a lead ChatGPT researcher at cybersecurity company Checkpoint security, has already seen cybercriminals harness the AI's power to create code that can be used in a ransomware attack. In dealing with unlawful or criminal content on their sites from third-party users, most tech companies cite Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. In addition, ChatGPT continues to implement guardrails to deter illegal activity, although these guardrails can often be sidestepped with the right script.

☆ ChatGPT could turn out to be hero for humanity or just a 'horrible product'. Here's what Elon Musk, Bill Gates and 10 heavyweights have to say on the red-hot AI.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Paul Krugman have all weighed in on the hottest topic this year – ChatGPT. From prominent names such as Elon Musk and Bill Gates to Wall Street banks like Morgan Stanley, everyone's got something to say. "It's both positive or negative and has great, great promise, great capability," Musk further said of AI, adding that "with that comes great danger." But a few quarters from now, if ChatGPT really starts to bring in significant subscriber fees, then we'll see what happens," O'Leary told Insider's Phil Rosen. Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO"I think it's exciting, what's possible with generative AI," Jassy said about generative AI and ChatGPT.

☆ China tech companies are closely watching ChatGPT's A.I. skills. Here's what they're doing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Big tech companies in the U.S. and China rushed this month to announce they are working on similar AI tools. PingCap launched "Chat2Query" for customers outside China in January that uses a publicly available application programming interface from OpenAI. "We think the revolution may not be in AI search but in every business," he said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. Transformative potentialFang said he was directly inspired by OpenAI's early version of ChatGPT tech in 2020. In contrast, he said generative AI tech can immediately provide value since it operates where users are already producing and consuming content.

☆ I use AI to teach autonomous cars how to drive. People are skeptical, but they could become safer than human drivers.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Asonta Benetti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ben Foxall is interested in how humans and tech work together. He began working for Wayve, a startup that's using AI to teach cars to drive. My team oversees the whole process of how self-driving cars work. Right now we're building commercial fleets of self-driving cars for urban areas to be able to take over the last-mile delivery of groceries. Self-driving cars are mind-bogglingly complex and incredible.

☆ How cybersecurity executives make the case for continued tech investments in a tough economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Cybersecurity executives have enjoyed a nice run of receiving the financial resources they need to keep their organizations protected against attacks. But given the current economic uncertainty, many will likely need to rethink their approach to investments in tools and services. "Cybersecurity is not immune to economic pressures and uncertainty," said Daniel Soo, risk and financial advisory principal in cyber and strategic risk at Deloitte. When prioritizing security investments, security leaders should continue to invest in security controls and solutions that protect the organization's customer-facing and revenue-generating workloads, Maxim said. They should continue to defend any investments that support the organization's modernization efforts with cloud and its evolution to zero trust security, he said.

☆ Digital video is set to top traditional TV this year. How Wall Street says to play it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

As of Thursday's close, Netflix shares were up 9% year to date, while Disney , Paramount and Warner Bros. NFLX YTD mountain Netflix shares since the start if 2023 During the pandemic, the streaming industry challenged cable TV as customers cut the cord. Shares of Netflix struggled Thursday following a report from The Wall Street Journal that the company was cutting prices in over 30 countries. Disney represents another clear-cut behemoth in the space, and boasts one of the higher number of buy ratings on Wall Street. The Trade Desk is another advertising stock Wall Street is bullish on, with more than 60% of analysts giving a buy rating on the stock.

☆ 8 reasons why you need an EIN for your business and how to apply for one
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Lee Huffman | Elizabeth Gravier | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Below, CNBC Select explains how to apply for an EIN for your business and eight reasons why you need one. An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a federal identification number for your business. These are a few of the most common reasons why you need to apply for an EIN. You cannot open a business bank account for most forms of business without an EIN.. You cannot open a business bank account for most forms of business without an EIN. Best small business resourcesOnce you have your EIN, it will be easier to separate personal and business expenses and take advantage of various small business resources, such as business credit cards, business checking accounts, business savings accounts, business loans and business expense trackers.

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