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☆ Best Buy, Walmart, other major US retailers tout health services
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Katherine Masters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Electronics retailer Best Buy recently kicked off a partnership with Atrium Health, part of Advocate Health, one of the country’s largest nonprofit hospital systems, Best Buy Chief Executive Officer Corie Sue Barry announced Thursday on a call with analysts. The partnership combines Atrium's hospital-at-home program with Best Buy’s technological services, she said. Best Buy Chief Financial Officer Matthew Bilunas, however, predicted continued growth of the company's health services would contribute to gross profit rate expansion even as it anticipates cooling demand throughout 2023. "The role of technology within health care is becoming more important than ever, and our strategy is to enable care at home for everyone," Barry said. New sign-ups for Best Buy's health services are expected to help drive a 40 to 70 basis point improvement in gross margins this year, despite lower sales.

☆ OpenAI's long-time backer Reid Hoffman leaves board
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 3 (Reuters) - LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman is leaving OpenAI's board to avoid conflicts of interest as he backs more artificial intelligence companies, he said in an online post. Hoffman also co-founded Inflection AI, one of the highest profile startups working on technology similar to OpenAI's. At the same time, Hoffman said he remained OpenAI's "ally" and wanted to work toward "elevating humanity" through technology including cross-industry partnerships if desired. Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief executive, said in a Twitter post responding to Hoffman that he looks forward "to much more collaboration in the future!" Hoffman remains on the board of Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), itself a major partner to and investor in OpenAI.

☆ Microsoft Africa internet plan moves forward with fiber deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 2 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) has reached a deal with Africa's biggest independent fiber network toward its goal of expanding internet access on the continent, its President Brad Smith said. The effort aims to build a new cloud-computing and AI market longer-term, which would benefit Microsoft, Smith has said. The software maker's so-called Airband initiative brings together telecoms and electricity providers, non-profits and governments to increase internet access. Smith also said Microsoft would work to improve food production in Africa through various partnerships, including applying artificial intelligence to monitor crops. Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in Palo Alto, Calif.; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Microsoft adds new Bing to Windows computers in effort to roll out AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) on Tuesday started adding its recently upgraded Bing search engine to its Windows computer software, aiming to put artificial intelligence (AI) at the fingertips of hundreds of millions of people. The Windows 11 update, Microsoft's latest in a flurry of product revamps this month, shows how the Redmond, Washington-based software maker is marching ahead on AI notwithstanding recent scrutiny of its technology. Microsoft's operating system will include the new Bing in desktop computers' search box, which helps half a billion monthly users navigate their files and the internet, the company said. Microsoft has been gathering feedback on the new Bing before a wider rollout. In addition to the new Bing, Microsoft's Windows update will include software that can connect to iPhone messages and calls starting with a limited set of users, the company said.

☆ HP forecasts strong quarter as cost cuts, easing supply chain pressures help
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - PC maker HP Inc (HPQ.N) on Tuesday forecast second-quarter adjusted profit above estimates and re-affirmed its full-year earnings target, expecting to benefit from cost cuts and higher shipments as supply chain pressures ease. HP forecast second-quarter adjusted per share earnings between 73 cents and 83 cents, above analysts' average estimate of 76 cents. It also maintained its full-year adjusted profit target of $3.20 to $3.60 per share. The strong profit forecast overshadowed a nearly 19% drop in first-quarter revenue to $13.8 billion that also missed analysts' average estimate of $14.12 billion, according to Refinitiv data. PC shipments are expected to be down 6.8% this year, compared with a 16% decline last year, according to projections by market research firm Gartner.

☆ Amazon completes One Medical takeover after FTC nod, discounts membership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) said on Wednesday it completed its $3.5 billion takeover of primary care provider One Medical (ONEM.O), a day after a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) official announced that the agency would not challenge the deal. The acquisition, announced last July, gives the online retailer brick-and-mortar offices for consumers to receive medical care for the first time, in addition to a virtual health offering. Amazon also said it would discount One Medical membership to $144 from $199 for the first year to new customers, irrespective of whether they're Prime loyalty subscribers. Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru and Jeffrey Dastin in Palo Alto, Calif.; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Executives across the technology sector are talking about how to operate AI like ChatGPT while accounting for the high expense. What makes this form of AI pricier than conventional search is the computing power involved. Still, footing the bill is one of two main reasons why search and social media giants with billions of users have not rolled out an AI chatbot overnight, said Paul Daugherty, Accenture's chief technology officer. Technology experts also said a workaround is applying smaller AI models to simpler tasks, which Alphabet is exploring. The company said this month a "smaller model" version of its massive LaMDA AI technology will power its chatbot Bard, requiring "significantly less computing power, enabling us to scale to more users."

☆ U.S. will not challenge Amazon.com's plan to buy One Medical, FTC official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will not file a complaint aimed at stopping Amazon.com's (AMZN.O) plan to buy primary care provider One Medical, an FTC official said on Tuesday. Amazon.com Inc said in July it would buy One Medical for $3.49 billion, expanding the e-commerce giant's virtual healthcare business and adding brick-and-mortar doctors' offices for the first time. The FTC official said that the agency planned to send a pre-consummation warning letter that would say it still had specific concerns about the deal. One Medical is in more than a dozen U.S. markets and gives members access to virtual care at any time of the day or night. The FTC is also probing Amazon.com's plan to buy Roomba maker iRobot Corp (IRBT.O) for $1.7 billion.

☆ Exclusive: Microsoft's Bing plans AI ads in early pitch to advertisers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last week, Microsoft and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google announced new generative AI chatbots a day apart from the other. Microsoft expects the more human responses from the Bing AI chatbot will generate more users for its search function and therefore more advertisers. Advertisements within the Bing chatbot may also enjoy more prominence on the page compared to traditional search ads. loadingMicrosoft's Edge web browser, which uses the Bing search engine, has a market share under 5% worldwide, according to one estimate from web analytics firm StatCounter. Parts Geek did not immediately respond to questions about whether it was aware of its ads appearing in the new Bing chatbot.

It was created by OpenAI, a private company backed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), and made available to the public for free. Its ubiquity has generated fear that generative AI such as ChatGPT could be used to spread disinformation, while educators worry it will be used by students to cheat. A second congressional aide described the discussions as focusing on the speed of changes in AI and how it could be used. In an interview with Time, Mira Murati, OpenAI's chief technology officer, said the company welcomed input, including from regulators and governments. "The whole value proposition of these types of AI systems is that they can generate content at scales and speeds that humans simply can't," he said.

☆ Factbox: How to get Microsoft's new AI-enhanced Bing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) on Tuesday unveiled a juiced-up version of its Bing search engine and Edge Web browser, powered by an upgraded version of ChatGPT's underlying technology. Users will need to go to this link and sign in to a Microsoft account to get on a waitlist to access Bing search. To jump the line, Microsoft said users can set Bing as the default search engine on their PC and scan a QR code to download the Bing Search app on your phone. Here is how Microsoft has integrated the technology from OpenAI, in which Microsoft first invested in 2019, into Bing and Edge. For more complex searches, such as planning a detailed trip itinerary or researching a TV set to buy, users can refine their search by asking more details through the Bing chat.

☆ Microsoft to infuse software with more AI as Google rivalry heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft is staking its future on AI through billions of dollars of investment. Working with the startup OpenAI, the company is aiming to rival Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google and potentially claim vast returns from tools that speed up all manner of content creation, automating tasks if not jobs themselves. “This technology is going to reshape pretty much every software category," said Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella, in a briefing for reporters at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. "Microsoft is looking to win this AI battle," he said in a research note on Monday. Last week Microsoft announced the startup's AI will generate meeting notes in Teams, its collaboration software, as well as suggest email replies to vendors using its Viva Sales subscription.

☆ Microsoft packs Bing search engine, Edge browser with AI in big challenge to Google
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft is staking its future on AI through billions of dollars of investment as it directly challenges Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google. “This technology is going to reshape pretty much every software category," Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella told reporters in a briefing at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. On Monday it unveiled a chatbot of its own called Bard, while it is planning to release AI for its search engine that can synthesize material when no simple answer exists online. PRACTICAL USESAt the event, Mehdi demonstrated how the AI-enhanced search engine will make shopping and creating emails much easier. For the quarter ending Dec. 31, Alphabet reported $42.6 billion in Google Search and other revenue, while Microsoft posted $3.2 billion from search and news advertising.

☆ Google opens Bard chatbot to test users, plans more AI for search
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

In a blog post on Monday, Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said the company is opening a conversational AI service called Bard to test users for feedback, followed by a public release in the coming weeks. Powering Bard is LaMDA, Google's AI that can generate prose so human-like that a company engineer last year called it sentient, a claim the technology giant and scientists widely dismissed. Google also plans to add AI-powered features to its search engine that synthesize information to answer complex queries, like whether a guitar or the piano is easier to learn to play, Pichai said. And Google will give tools, first powered by LaMDA and later by other AI technology, to web developers, creators and enterprises starting next month, he said. Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in Palo Alto, Calif.; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Amazon has long viewed grocery as a key to unlock more consumer spending. Despite Amazon's large business from packaged food and other goods, it has yet to win significant market share in perishables, Jassy said. Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, said Amazon has itself to blame, having drawn consumers to online shopping decades ago. "They are flushing money down a toilet pursuing Amazon Fresh stores" and thinking "they can brand a new concept and capture share from retailers who have been successful for decades." The company has a few dozen Amazon Fresh stores so far, Jassy said.

☆ Analysis: From Meta to Microsoft, AI's big moment is here
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A Microsoft logo is seen a day after Microsoft Corp's $26.2 billion purchase of LinkedIn Corp, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File PhotoFeb 3 (Reuters) - Big Tech companies have a new obsession: artificial intelligence. Executives from Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), behind the latest big rivalry in tech, took their battle to the conference-call front lines. We can bring those to life using generative (AI) art, which I think is really exciting," he said. "One of my goals for Meta is to build on our research to become a leader in generative AI," said Zuckerberg.

☆ Ukraine is using Palantir's software for 'targeting,' CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Its software helps Ukraine target, for instance, tanks and artillery, a Palantir spokesperson said. The company, whose co-founders include Karp and investor Peter Thiel, has opened an office in Ukraine. "There are huge ethical issues on the battlefield," he said at an event Palantir hosted in Palo Alto. Japan is a "very high priority" market for Palantir including in defense, another Palantir official, Kevin Kawasaki, said in an interview. Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in Palo Alto, Calif.; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

And while Amazon's holiday revenue beat Wall Street's expectations, sales growth from its lucrative cloud-computing division slowed during the fourth quarter. Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky told reporters that the company expects slower cloud growth rates for the next few quarters as it worked with customers to optimize costs. Olsavsky also said the company remains nervous about consumer spending and how people will prioritize budgets moving forward. Facing high inflation and an uncertain economy, CEO Andy Jassy has aimed to slash costs across Amazon's vast array of businesses. The division fell short of estimates of more than $22 billion in fourth-quarter cloud sales, increasing them 20% to $21.4 billion.

“The small miss on Microsoft’s cloud earnings forecast is likely just a reflection of the new economic reality that businesses are facing and not a harbinger of something worse," said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research. It forecast third-quarter revenue in its so-called intelligent cloud business would be $21.7 billion to $22 billion, just below the analyst average forecast of $22.14 billion, according to Refinitiv. He said revenue from OpenAI-related businesses would show up in revenue for Microsoft's cloud service Azure in the future. Azure cloud product revenue in the second quarter rose 31%, in line with estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. The company expects that revenue to drop to $11.9 billion to $12.3 billion in the current fiscal third quarter.

☆ Microsoft attracting users to its code-writing, generative AI software
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Early evidence is in usage of a little-discussed tool that can write computer code for programmers, called GitHub Copilot. Opened up to the public in June of last year, the tool drew 400,000 subscribers within a month. On Tuesday, Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said that more than 1 million people had used Copilot to date. Copilot itself relies on OpenAI's tech, as does a chatbot sensation that Open AI released last year known as ChatGPT. Microsoft has said it will make ChatGPT, which can draft code as well as essays or poetry, available via its cloud.

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) said on Tuesday it is offering a $5 monthly subscription plan for U.S. Prime members that will cover a range of generic drugs and their doorstep delivery, furthering the ecommerce giant's push into healthcare. The program, named RxPass, includes more than 50 medications addressing over 80 chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, anxiety, diabetes and male pattern baldness, Vin Gupta, Amazon Pharmacy's chief medical officer, told Reuters. However, customers enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid or any other government healthcare program will not be able to enroll in Amazon Pharmacy's RxPass service. The average Prime member would save about $100 per year with RxPass, John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy, said in an interview. Amazon Prime members in most U.S. states can sign up for the program from Tuesday.

☆ Alphabet-owned AI firm DeepMind shutters office in Canada's Edmonton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 24 (Reuters) - DeepMind Technologies, owned by Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), is closing its office in the Canadian city of Edmonton, a spokesperson for the AI firm said, just days after Google's parent announced it would lay off 12,000 employees. London-based DeepMind's Edmonton office is the only international site directly managed by the artificial intelligence firm, making it far more resource-intensive to operate, the spokesperson said. Researchers have been offered the option to relocate to another DeepMind office, such as DeepMind Montreal, based in Google’s Montreal office, the spokesperson added. Google acquired DeepMind in 2014, putting the tech giant ahead in the AI race than most of its peers. Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru and Jeffrey Dastin in Palo Alto; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Microsoft to invest more in OpenAI as tech race heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Recently touting a revolution in artificial intelligence (AI), Microsoft is building on a bet it made on OpenAI nearly four years ago, when it dedicated $1 billion for the startup co-founded by Elon Musk and investor Sam Altman. Microsoft in a blog post has now announced "the third phase" of its partnership "through a multiyear, multibillion dollar investment" including additional supercomputer development and cloud-computing support for OpenAI. Both companies will be able to commercialize the AI tech that results, the blog post said. Microsoft last week said it aimed to imbue such AI into all its products, as OpenAI continues to pursue the creation of human-like intelligence for machines. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft warned of a recession and growing scrutiny of digital spend by customers in its layoff announcement.

☆ Exclusive: Google parent to lay off 12,000 workers in latest blow to tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Benoit TessierJan 20 (Reuters) - Google's parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) is eliminating about 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce, it said Friday, as Silicon Valley reels from recent layoffs and faces a troubled outlook. The cuts at Alphabet come days after Microsoft said it would lay off 10,000 workers. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told staff in a memo that the firm had reviewed its products, people and priorities, leading to job cuts across geographies and tech. Alphabet's job losses affect teams across the company including recruiting and some corporate functions, as well as some engineering and products teams. Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in Davos, Switzerland; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Davos 2023-Meta sees promise in generative AI, including for Instagram filters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Generative artificial intelligence, the umbrella technology behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, has interesting applications for social media, the chief product officer for Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) told Reuters. On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Meta's Chris Cox said that such technology has the capability to create image filters for the likes of the company's Instagram app. Generative AI can learn from vast data to produce prose, imagery or other content in response to a simple text command. Meta has been working on generative AI research, for instance tech that can convert a text prompt into a video clip. Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in Davos, Switzerland Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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