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☆ AI drive-thrus may be good for business. But not for the rest of us
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New AI technology at the drive-thru at a Carl's Jr. location. In real-world situations, reactions to AI drive-thrus are still mixed. “We expect AI to augment the competitive advantages of restaurants with digital culture.”Short-staffed restaurants may see AI as a way to fill in the gaps. “There aren’t enough at-scale examples of voice AI in action, especially in this use case,” to say that people would prefer AI to an employee, said McAllister. By the time those examples exist, AI in drive-thrus may already be the norm.

Persons: CKE, Carl’s Jr, Wendy’s, Joel Angel Juarez, it’s, ” Thomas Kurian, ”, Christina McAllister, Forrester, upsells, Krishna Gupta, Presto, “, Todd Penegor, Penegor, Yong Suk Lee, “ it’s, Brandon Bell, McAllister Organizations: New, New York CNN, Google, USA, Wall Street, Indiana White, Wall Street Journal, Presto Automation, CKE, Presto, Presto Voice, University of Notre Dame, Intouch Locations: New York, White, Wendy’s, Columbus , Ohio, The Republic

WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) - Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. Congress introduced legislation on Thursday that would make it easier for Ukraine to fund its fight against Russian invaders by using seized and frozen Russian assets. The U.S. Congress has approved more than $100 billion in military, humanitarian and economic aid for Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. It also would bar the release of funds to sanctioned Russian entities until Russia withdraws from Ukraine and agrees to provide compensation for harm caused by the war. The bill's other Republican sponsors include Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Representatives Joe Wilson, Thomas Kean and Brian Fitzpatrick. Democratic sponsors include Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Marcy Kaptur, a co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, as well as Representatives Steve Cohen and Mike Quigley.

Persons: Jim Risch, Michael McCaul, Joe Wilson, Thomas Kean, Brian Fitzpatrick, Sheldon Whitehouse, Marcy Kaptur, Steve Cohen, Mike Quigley, Patricia Zengerle, William Maclean Organizations: Republican, Democratic, U.S . Congress, U.S, Congress, Moscow, Senate Foreign Relations, Opportunity, House Foreign Affairs, Congressional Ukraine Caucus, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, United States

☆ Equitrans Midstream CEO: U.S. won't be able to meet future energy demand without permitting reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEquitrans Midstream CEO: U.S. won't be able to meet future energy demand without permitting reformEquitrans Midstream CEO Thomas Karam joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to discuss the new U.S. debt ceiling deal, ongoing permitting debates on Capitol Hill, and more.

Persons: Thomas Karam

☆ 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

Look no further than artificial intelligence from Google (GOOGL.O) at Priceline as early as this summer, the companies told Reuters. New tools from Google's cloud division give Priceline access to generative AI, like the technology behind ChatGPT that can draft text as if a human wrote it. For Priceline, the embrace of novel technology may give it an edge over myriad sites that market travel options, Google among them. Among other uses, Google's AI will be generating coding suggestions for hundreds of software developers at Priceline, said Brodbeck. And Google's AI will speed up marketing for trending destinations.

Persons: Martin Brodbeck, there's, Brodbeck, Thomas Kurian, Kurian, Priceline, intranets, Jeffrey Dastin, Sonali Paul Organizations: Google, Reuters, Booking Holdings, Amazon, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: New York, Priceline, Bryant, Palo Alto, Calif

June 6 (Reuters) - It's a tense time for bitcoin investors. The capricious cryptocurrency's been uncommonly quiet over the past four weeks, bound in the range of $28,452 and $25,800. Bitcoin's volatility index is near 64, well below the 2023 peak of 116.5 touched in January, according to CryptoCompare. "Trading volatility, buying options in the absence of a price move, that's what people might do in this market." Market positioning indicates the maximum pain level for the June 2023 options expiry for bitcoin is at around $24,000, which could act as a support or resistance level, according to analysts at Bitfinex.

Persons: CryptoCompare, Noelle Acheson, Matthew Weller, Luuk Strijers, Strijers, Thomas Kralow, Medha Singh, Lisa Pauline Mattackal, Pravin Organizations: bitcoin, BULLS, Kralow, Pravin Char, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Florida GOP lawmaker says the anti-immigration law he backed is causing a 'major problem' as migrant families are leaving the state
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Florida GOP lawmaker said the anti-immigration law he backed was supposed to tell new immigrants to "stay out." But now migrant families are fleeing the state, and it's a "big problem" for farmers and tourism, Rep. Rick Roth said. "The bill has a lot of negative consequences that I'm trying to mitigate," Florida Rep. Rick Roth told Insider. During the meeting, Roth told constituents that migrants have started moving to Georgia and other states. Roth told Insider that the bill came straight from Gov.

Persons: Rick Roth, Roth, —, Alina Garcia, Juan Fernandez Barquin, Thomas Kennedy, they're, WPTV, Garcia, Kennedy, Ron DeSantis, Fernandez Barquin, DeSantis Organizations: Florida GOP, Twitter, Service, CBS News, New, Gov Locations: Florida, Hialeah , Florida, Georgia, New Republic

☆ Three Europeans return home after release by Iran in prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Charlotte Van Campenhout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

They arrived around 2:45 a.m. (0045 GMT) and were greeted by Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, Belgium's Belga news agency reported. Danish citizen Thomas Kjems flew on to Copenhagen, landing at around 11 a.m. (0900 GMT) on Saturday. Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg tweeted photos of the two Austrians arriving in Vienna. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian tweeted on Saturday that he had told Lahbib that he hoped the prisoners' release would "open a new page" in Iran's relations with Belgium and Europe. Belgian government officials said that officially there were still 22 Europeans in Iranian prisons, but that no more Europeans would be exchanged for Assadi.

Persons: Thomas Kjems, Read, Dane, Asadollah Assadi, Olivier Vandecasteele, Assadi, Hadja Lahbib, Belgium's, It's, I've, Alexander Schallenberg, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Lahbib, Amirabdollahian, Massud Mosaheb, Kamran Ghaderi, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Kazem, Ahmadreza, Louise Rasmussen, Tom Little, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Bart Biesemans, Andrew Gray, Francois Murphy, Hugh Lawson, Mark Potter, Frances Kerry Organizations: Copenhagen Airport, Europeans, Belgian Foreign, Austrian, Ministry, Austrian Friendship Society, Danish, Assadi, Iranian, Thomson Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, Iran, BRUSSELS, DUBAI, Tehran, Belgian, Belgium, France, Oman, Danish, Vienna, Iranian, Europe, ., Swedish, Brussels, Dubai

[1/3] A tyre produced by the Finnish group Nokian Tyres on display at a dealership in Moscow, Russia, March 23, 2023. Nokian Tyres' protracted departure illustrates the growing headwinds faced by Western companies that have yet to fully depart the country. "The war changed the operating environment in a rapid and unpredictable way," Nokian Tyres' Chief Transformation Officer Johanna Horsma told Reuters. Additional valuation requirements published in mid-December came in the middle of Nokian Tyres' transaction, he added. The buyer needs to be well selected to avoid scammers, said Nokian Tyres' Horsma.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, Johanna Horsma, Finland's Fortum, Germany's, Peter Wand, Baker McKenzie, Thomas Kormendi, Kormendi, Alexei Moiseev, Moiseev, Nokian, Tatiana Stanovaya, Elopak, Baker McKenzie's Wand, Alexander Marrow, Darya Korsunskaya, Matt Scuffham, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Nokian Tyres, REUTERS, Finland's, U.S . Treasury, Reuters, Companies, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, finalising, Ukraine, Western, Frankfurt

ACCRA, June 1 (Reuters) - Ghanaian labour unions have asked the government for time to assess a proposal presented on Thursday to restructure pension funds worth around 30 billion Ghanaian cedis ($2.7 billion). The majority of eligible holders of Ghana's local bonds participated in a domestic debt exchange in February. The pension funds were exempted after unions threatened to strike, but have now been offered their own deal. Thomas Kwesi Esso, executive secretary of the lobby group for the pension funds, told Reuters that the offer was an improvement and addresses liquidity concerns with the old bonds. Editing by Alessandra Prentice, Rachel Savage and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Abraham Koomson, ”, Thomas Kwesi, ” Anthony Yaw Baah, Alessandra Prentice, Rachel Savage, Leslie Adler Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Finance Ministry, Reuters, International Monetary, Thomson Locations: ACCRA

☆ We identified the 109 most important people at Google Cloud as it doubles down on AI to beat Microsoft and Amazon. Explore our exclusive org chart.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Internal Google data obtained by Insider shows the 109 most powerful people within Google Cloud. We built an interactive org chart of the top execs and staff helping Kurian lead the division. When Insider last mapped out the Google Cloud org chart at the start of 2022, it had around 40,000 employees. The Cloud unit has seen some notable departures and reshuffles in recent months. It's been almost a year since Javier Soltero, the head of Google Workspace, departed and was replaced by Aparna Pappu.

☆ How to watch the PGA Championship: Start time, channels, and other things to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Rob Schumacher/USA Today Network Tiger Woods walks the 18th green during the second round on Saturday, April 8. David J. Phillip/AP Fred Couples waves to patrons after finishing his second round on Saturday. Patrick Smith/Getty Images Patrick Cantlay plays a shot from a bunker on the 18th hole on Saturday. Rob Schumacher/USA Today Network Adam Scott plays a bunker shot on the second hole Thursday. Rob Schumacher/USA Today Network Hideki Matsuyama, who won the tournament two years ago, looks over a putt on the second hole.

But Michelin, Continental and Pirelli (PIRC.MI) told Reuters they are pursuing alternatives to 6PPD, with Michelin and Continental adding collective industry action may be necessary to find solutions. Continental said its dandelion tyres were developed to find a sustainable form of natural rubber, and addressing 6PPD was a separate focus. The worst-performing rival tyres Michelin has tested so far emit around 8 kg per year. Michelin and Continental said they are already focused on making their tyres more durable - Michelin cut its tyre emissions 5% between 2015 and 2020, Roget said. "The advent of the EV is the time to make this change," to improve tyres," Enso's Erlendsson said.

☆ How the debt ceiling showdown could play into China’s hands and weaken US global power
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

One way to raise the debt ceiling might be to build a coalition of Republicans and moderate Democrats to isolate the extremists in his own party. “I cannot in good conscience support a debt ceiling proposal that pushes people into poverty,” Fetterman said. The length of a debt ceiling raise could also be an issue. Many Democrats want a deal that pushes the politically perilous need to raise the debt ceiling past the next election. Potentially, both chambers could vote on a short-term extension to raise the debt ceiling to allow time for more negotiations.

☆ Daniel Penny's crowd-sourced defense funds nears $1 million as DeSantis throws support behind the man who choked Jordan Neely to death
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Supporters are raising defense funds for Daniel Penny, the man charged for killing Jordan Neely on the NYC subway. Penny is facing a manslaughter charge in the death of Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man. While Neely's behavior alarmed some passengers, one eyewitness told The New York Times that Neely never tried to assault anyone. The case has divided New Yorkers, who are grappling with a rise in crime on the New York subway system. "Justice looks like a conviction for murder," Edwards said at a press conference following the announcement of Penny's charges.

[1/3] Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at the Google I/O 2023 conference, in Mountain View, California, U.S., May 10, 2023. Called the Search Generative Experience, the revamped Google can craft responses to open-ended queries while retaining its recognizable list of links to the Web. "We are reimagining all of our core products, including search," Sundar Pichai, Alphabet's CEO, said after he took the stage at the event. Generative AI can, using past data, create brand new content like fully formed text, images and software code. WHAT OUTFIT TO WEARWith the embedded AI, Google still looks and acts like its familiar empty search bar.

☆ As customers start using Google A.I., they will buy into it: Google Cloud CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAs customers start using Google A.I., they will buy into it: Google Cloud CEOGoogle Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to discuss today's Google I/O event, the state of the cloud market, and Google's investments in A.I.

Customers are applying Google's technology in ways both expected, such as a customer-service chatbot for Uber, and unusual, including AI to handle drive-thru orders at a Wendy's Co (WEN.O) fast-food restaurant in Ohio. Its cloud division posted its first-ever operating profit last quarter, and the AI technology that Google pioneered may help it narrow the gap with bigger players Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O). And it is exploring if Google's AI can craft research drawing from economic data, market reports and other content, to give the bank's customers and staff, said Leukert. Other companies using the technology include Adore Me, the Victoria's Secret unit drafting ad copy with AI in Google Docs, Kurian said. Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in Mountain View, California Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with Google Cloud CEO Thomas KurianGoogle Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to discuss today's Google I/O event, the state of the cloud market, and Google's investments in A.I.

☆ Born of Grief, a Couple’s Off Broadway Incubator Marks 20 Years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Robin Pogrebin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2002, Jenny and Jon Steingart founded the Off Broadway incubator Ars Nova as a way of honoring Jenny’s brother, Gabriel Wiener, who in 1997 died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 26. Now, as the nonprofit theater is marking its 20th anniversary, the couple is facing another wrenching struggle: Jon has A.L.S., the severe neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “Every painful experience in my life — if I have to live through it, I am going to come out on the other side with a lesson and a way to give back in some way,” Jenny Steingart said in a recent interview at their home on the Upper West Side. “Because a loss without some meaning behind it is really hard to live with.”So this anniversary, to be celebrated with a gala on Monday, also finds the Steingarts feeling great satisfaction, having created an institution that — in the wake of the 9/11 attacks — has played a crucial role in the professional development of so many artists. Among those who have worked at Ars Nova are Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Christopher Jackson and Phillipa Soo of “Hamilton” fame; Bridget Everett, the actress and cabaret performer of the acclaimed HBO series “Somebody Somewhere”; and Dave Malloy, who created “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” at Ars Nova.

☆ Jordan Neely: The man who held New York subway passenger in a fatal chokehold 'never intended to harm' him, his attorneys say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Aya Elamroussi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death,” the statement said. As soon as Neely got on the train, he started yelling about being “fed up and hungry” and “tired of having nothing,” Vazquez told CNN. Neely did not appear to be armed or looking to attack anyone, Vazquez told CNN. In the video recorded by Vazquez, Neely and Penny are seen on the floor of a subway car with Penny’s arm wrapped around Neely’s neck. One appeared to be mediating the situation while the other seemed to help Penny restrain Neely, according to Vazquez.

☆ King Charles III’s Coronation Guest List Targets Diversity and Inclusion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Memorabilia to commemorate King Charles III’s coronation, which is due to take place in London on Saturday. Photo: Thomas Krych/Zuma PressLONDON—Watching on as King Charles III is crowned in Westminster Abbey on Saturday will be an unusually eclectic group of people, a guest list that reflects the monarch’s drive to keep the institution relevant through diversity and a greater connection with ordinary Britons, even if that means quite a few aristocrats have been snubbed. Among those expected to attend in person as the new king is anointed with holy oil will be pop star Lionel Richie, U.S. first lady Jill Biden, the king of Tonga, the magician Dynamo, French President Emmanuel Macron and Max Woosey, a teenage boy who camped in his garden for three years to raise money for charity.

☆ Google Cloud boss Kurian's rocky path to profit: 'We were not in a very good situation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, right, arrives on stage as Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai exits during the Google Cloud Next event in San Francisco on April 9, 2019. Earlier this week, Alphabet said Google's cloud unit generated $191 million in operating profit, after losing a total of $4 billion in 2021 and 2022. Under Kurian's predecessor, VMware co-founder Diane Greene, critics said Google's cloud business hadn't matured enough to handle enterprises even as it was investing heavily to do so. The cloud division includes the Google Cloud Platform, which competes with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, and the Google Workspace productivity software bundle that goes head-to-head with Microsoft Office. Google Cloud technology chief Will Grannis said Kurian's commitment to improving the division's offerings was evident right away.

☆ New image reveals violent events near a supermassive black hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] This image shows the jet and shadow of the black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy together for the first time. The supermassive black hole pictured resides at the center of a relatively nearby galaxy called Messier 87, or M87, about 54 million light-years from Earth. This black hole, with a mass 6.5 billion times that of our sun, was the subject of the first image of such an object ever obtained, released in 2019, with another black hole pictured last year. Seeing the entire scene in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole can be insightful. The EHT project has yielded the images of the two supermassive black holes.

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