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CNN —Amazon has agreed to pay more than $30 million to settle two federal lawsuits alleging that the tech giant violated users’ privacy — including that of children — through its Alexa voice assistant and its Ring doorbell cameras. Amazon acquired Ring in 2018, paving the way for the e-commerce giant to get into the home security business. According to the FTC, Amazon kept Alexa voice recordings of children “indefinitely” unless a user specifically instructed the company to delete the recordings. Amazon also agreed to send consumers notices about the FTC settlement, and to implement a privacy program for geolocation data. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Alexa settlement.

Persons: “, Ring, ”, Amazon Organizations: CNN, Amazon, Federal Trade Commission, FTC Locations: U.S

☆ World’s best airline for 2023 named by AirlineRatings.com
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket/Getty ImagesAfter a couple of years of reduced air travel in the wake of the pandemic, travelers returned to the air in 2022 to significant airline chaos – canceled flights, lost luggage and overstretched staff. And interestingly, while Air New Zealand came out on top for 2023, Thomas said the results were close among the top five. Singapore Airlines took the fifth spot on AirlineRatings.com's 2023 list and also won the Best First Class award. Johannes P. Christo/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesAbu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is number 3 on AirlineRatings.com’s 2023 list. Singapore Airlines, named top in the Best First Class award and the Excellence in Long Haul Travel - Southeast Asia award, took fifth place overall.

Persons: AirlineRatings.com, –, ” Geoffrey Thomas, ” AirlineRatings.com, Marcos del Mazo, Thomas, Johannes P Organizations: CNN, Air, Zealand, CNN Travel, Zealand’s, Qatar Airways, Air New Zealand, Business, Catering, Long, Singapore Airlines, Christo, Anadolu Agency, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways, Korean, North, ” Air, New, Civil Aviation Authority, Auckland International Airport, Etihad Airways, Qantas, Virgin, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa, SAS, TAP, All Nippon Airways, Delta Air, Air Canada, British Airways, Jet, JAL, Vietnam Airlines, Turkish Airlines, KLM, . Alaska Airlines, United Airlines Locations: Australia, North Asia, Asia, Zealand, Auckland, AirlineRatings.com’s, Virgin Australia, Swiss, TAP Portugal

☆ A leaked Amazon sales playbook lays out how companies in every industry can use generative AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It shows that Amazon expects nearly every industry and business to adopt generative AI in some form. The analysis is part of a 12-page internal document, titled "Generative AI Sales Playbook." The mainstream success of ChatGPT and other consumer apps has shown users how generative AI can improve search and productivity. Amazon's analysis shows that companies can use generative AI for even more tasks, such as drug discovery and development or misinformation governance and national security. The analysis mentions the Congressional Research Service, Hyundai, and Siemens among the companies already taking advantage of generative AI.

☆ A leaked Amazon generative AI sales playbook shows how the company is going after ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, Microsoft and Google
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The strategy is revealed in a detailed internal sales guideline, titled "Generative AI Sales Playbook," obtained by Insider. The guidelines may help Amazon make a stronger push in the generative AI space, where companies including Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google have taken an early lead. 'ChatGPT is a brand new, experimental offering'The guidelines focus on SageMaker's appeal to companies looking to build their own generative AI services. For example, for c-suite executives, Amazon salespeople are told to focus on how generative AI can "improve efficiency by automating operations," the document said. For those with a bit more experience in AI, Amazon salespeople are advised to recommend new generative AI capabilities and AWS offerings to accelerate their development process.

Persons: Bard, SageMaker, JumpStart, Sam Altman Drew Angerer, Sparrow, It's, I'm, haven't, you've, Canva's, Eugene Kim Organizations: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Stability, AI21 Labs, Amazon Alexa, AWS, Burnham

☆ More than 25% of biodiversity is under our feet — but we're destroying it. A biotech startup that's raised $56 million has a plan to help save our soil.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Amanda Paule | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The women-led biotech startup Trace Genomics is working to reverse human-caused soil erosion. Soil-data companies such as the Iowa startup Trace Genomics are trying to help farmers reverse that trend. Prasanna Kankanala, Trace Genomics' director of research and development, visits a client's farm. The opportunity to help fight crop diseases led Parameswaran and Diane Wu, her cofounder, to start Trace Genomics in 2015. Where a chemical test might run him $20, Trace's test could run him $200.

☆ Kenvue CEO looks to brand, product innovation to drive growth after IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Thibaut Mongon, CEO of Kenvue Inc. a Johnson & Johnson consumer-health business, speaks during an interview with CNBC during his company's IPO at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), May 4, 2023. Kenvue CEO Thibaut Mongon is betting on brand and product innovation to drive growth at the newly spun-out company after its solid debut on the public market Thursday. Kenvue, spun out of Johnson & Johnson , carries a packed portfolio of widely known brands, such as Band-Aid, Tylenol, Listerine, Neutrogena, Aveeno and J&J's namesake baby powder. But Mongon told CNBC that Kenvue's portfolio of brands has "ample opportunity" to grow. Mongon believes product innovation ultimately makes Kenvue's brands "more relevant than ever" to consumers as they better target their needs.

☆ CEO of fitness band maker Whoop mocks the demise of Amazon's Halo health device
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The CEO of Whoop, a fitness band favored by athletes, is claiming victory over Amazon after the e-retailer pulled the plug on its line of Halo devices. Amazon said last week it will discontinue its Halo health and fitness devices, and shut down the Halo program, resulting in some employees being let go. Whoop CEO Will Ahmed said he views the demise of Halo as a win for his startup. He claimed the Halo wristband, which tracks users' physical activity, sleep and mood, was a knockoff of Whoop's own device. Whoop launched its first product, the Whoop 1.0, in 2015.

☆ Austin's airport has been failing for years to keep up with its booming population, but officials are innovating everything from baggage handling to security screening to make the next expansion work
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Katherine Fan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Austin's airport is one of the newest and fastest-growing airports in the US. Despite efforts, the airport is rapidly outgrowing an infrastructure designed for a much smaller population. A 20-year expansion plan aims to build a model airport for growing cities, but forecasts predict it still won't be enough. The capital city of Texas has quadrupled its population since 2000, and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) serves as a gateway for transplants and visitors alike. But the airport has struggled to keep up with the city's booming population, leading to delays and other air-travel frustrations.

☆ BASF Uses Integrated Reporting to Focus Stakeholders on Sustainable Innovation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Julia Hood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Integrated reporting is growing more popular as stakeholders look to understand how companies are building sustainable growth. BASF produces an integrated report and is involved in the International Integrated Reporting Council. According to the IFRS Foundation, more than 2,500 companies worldwide have adopted integrated reporting. A major shift occurred with the launch of the International Integrated Reporting Council in 2010, and the framework it rolled out in 2013. An integrated report brings with it a higher threshold of measurement and accountability than a standalone sustainability report.

☆ Google AI pioneer says he quit to speak freely about technology's 'dangers'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Artificial intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton speaks at the Thomson Reuters Financial and Risk Summit in Toronto, December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Mark BlinchMay 2 (Reuters) - A pioneer of artificial intelligence said he quit Google (GOOGL.O) to speak freely about the technology's dangers, after realising that computers could become smarter than people far sooner than he and other experts had expected. "I left so that I could talk about the dangers of AI without considering how this impacts Google," Geoffrey Hinton wrote on Twitter. “The idea that this stuff could actually get smarter than people — a few people believed that,” he told the New York Times. In his tweet, Hinton said Google itself had "acted very responsibly" and denied that he had quit so that he could criticise his former employer.

☆ AI pioneer quits Google to warn about the technology’s ‘dangers’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

He worked part-time at Google for a decade on the tech giant’s AI development efforts, but he has since come to have concerns about the technology and his role in advancing it. In a tweet Monday, Hinton said he left Google so he could speak freely about the risks of AI, rather than because of a desire to criticize Google specifically. “I left so that I could talk about the dangers of AI without considering how this impacts Google,” Hinton said in a tweet. OpenAI, Microsoft and Google are at the forefront of this trend, but IBM, Amazon, Baidu and Tencent are working on similar technologies. Obviously, I no longer think that.”Even before stepping aside from Google, Hinton had spoken publicly about AI’s potential to do harm as well as good.

☆ Elon Musk earned a spot at the Museum of Failure, which listed 14 reasons including the strange names he gave 2 of his kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk earned a spot at the Museum of Failure in Brooklyn, which listed 14 reasons. According to the Museum of Failure, there's no such thing as innovation without a few bumps along the way. That's something Elon Musk is familiar with, and has earned him a spot at the museum for 14 reasons, which include the unusual names he gave two of his kids: X AE A-XII and Exa Dark Sideræl, who also now goes by Y. The museum aims to stimulate productive discussion about failure and inspire us to take meaningful risks," it says on its website. The museum is in Brooklyn until June 18 and has previously been on display in cities including Calgary, Canada and Taipei, Taiwan.

☆ Kit Kat Cereal is hitting US shelves
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

General Mills is betting a lot of people do, as it is launching Kit Kat Cereal nationwide beginning this month at $5.69 for a standard-size box. A limited edition Spider-Verse Cereal – red “spiderberry” puffs with blue and white marshmallows – will be selling for a less expensive $2.99 in stores. General Mills is also launching miniature Lucky Charms and Cocoa Puffs, adding to its miniature Trix, both of which are priced at $5.69. They could either be eaten dry or be mixed in with cold water to create instant milk and cereal. Cereal sales surged to over $9 billion in 2020 or up 9% from 2019, as millions worked from home, according to data from NielsenIQ.

☆ The 'Godfather of AI' quit Google — and says he now regrets his role creating technology that poses a threat to humanity
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Geoffrey Hinton quit his job at Google and told The New York Times he regrets his role in pioneering AI. Hinton said he quit so he could warn about the risks of AI without worrying about the impact to Google. After recently leaving behind his decade-long career at Google, Geoffrey Hinton, nicknamed "the Godfather of AI," told The New York Times he has regrets around the foundational role he played in developing the technology. After Google employees were tasked with testing the Bard chatbot, some employees said they thought the technology could be dangerous, as reported by Bloomberg. This is a concern that CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman, and other critics of the AI technology, have echoed.

☆ Benioff vs. Benioff
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

Within Salesforce, Benioff riffs are at times met with backlash from an angry workforce. "You're not going to fire your family during times of need," a former Salesforce executive told Insider. "I don't think they understand Ohana," Benioff told Insider. "Look, we have to be the example of stakeholder capitalism," Benioff told Insider. A 'New Day' at Salesforce"I use the Japanese principle of shoshin, beginner's mind," Benioff told Insider in a phone interview in March.

☆ Consultancies are coming off a pandemic boom. Are they still worth hiring?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Management consultancies helped design vaccination programs during the pandemic and are currently providing advice on how to rescue one of the world’s biggest banks. The $230 billion management consulting industry is a broad church: it includes companies offering everything from project management expertise to designing new organizational structures. Many big firms — think EY and KPMG — also conduct audits and advise on their clients’ tax issues, though these services are generally seen as distinct from their consulting work. In The Big Con, published in February, prize-winning economist Mariana Mazzucato and her co-author Rosie Collington argue that management consultancies “infantilize” governments by keeping them dependent on their services. Nearly 80% of firms surveyed globally have told the think-tank that consultants’ work is either of high or very high quality, she noted.

☆ Carlyle has a secret weapon for training its top leaders: a four-star Navy Admiral who led thousands of sailors into battle and captured cocaine-filled cartel submarines
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

James Stavridis, a retired Navy Admiral, is leading a new leadership program for Carlyle partners. Now, he's leading a new training course for the firm's partners called the Admiral Leadership Program. James Stavridis, a retired four-star Admiral, served in the Navy for 37 years before joining Carlyle in 2018. Inside Carlyle's first training program for partnersAbout 15 partners at Carlyle, from ESG to credit and tech, are participating in the Navy admiral's leadership program. Anna Tye, a partner on Carlyle's technology investing team, is also part of the leadership program.

☆ Fifty-three million tons of electronics become junk every year. Here's how one company is tackling the problem.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Dell Technologies | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Dell is stepping up to tackle this problem, committing to a circular business model. By 2030, Dell will ensure that 100% of its packaging will be either reused or made from recycled or renewable material. Additionally, more than half of its product content will also be made from recycled, renewable, or reduced carbon emissions material. Already, there are almost 400 million pounds of sustainable materials in Dell's products and packaging and 55% of its electricity comes from renewable sources. "Our emphasis on environmental, social, and governance measures ensures that while we accomplished our business goals, we also delivered positive results for all of our stakeholders," he said.

☆ AI chatbots like ChatGPT appear to be leaving product reviews on Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some Amazon users appear to be employing AI chatbots to write product reviews, CNBC first reported. CNBC conducted a search on Amazon product reviews and found many that said they weren't written by humans. Similar Amazon reviews that contained the phrase "as an AI language model" also appear on a LED aquarium light, waist trimmer, and children's workbook. These reviews may be the next frontier of fake Amazon product reviews, an issue that Amazon has dealt with in the past. While the AI-generated reviews still appear on the site, the Amazon spokesperson said that it will remove product reviews it deems fake.

☆ Here's why MNTN CEO is bullish on Netflix
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | 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 EmailHere's why MNTN CEO is bullish on NetflixJason Bazinet, Citi analyst, and Mark Douglas, founder and CEO of MNTN, join 'The Exchange' to discuss Netflix's earnings numbers, advertisement competition in streaming, and innovating streaming technologies.

☆ Doctors are building tech startups to help fix a healthcare system reeling from crisis after crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But with increasing patient demand and complexity, there are not enough doctors in the healthcare system to match that level of care, he said. With its promise of free universal healthcare, the UK's National Health Service has long been a source of national pride. A growing number of clinicians are becoming "doctorpreneurs," applying their first-hand experience in healthcare to build startups to help fill that gap. As clinicians in the UK expand their startups abroad, they predict the doctorpreneur trend will become a global phenomena — with health startups in other countries looking to the UK for inspiration. Selim noted that many doctors — across continents — are also incentivized by a unifying mission, which is to offer patients hope.

☆ Elon Musk holds the keys to the moon because SpaceX's Starship megarocket launch is crucial to NASA's return
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The rocket, which NASA has tagged for upcoming missions, is crucial to NASA's return to the moon. The highly anticipated Starship launch will determine whether NASA's Artemis moon program is on track for success. NASA's SLS relies on Starship for the moon landingA Starship prototype being launched. NASA's SLS rocket, by contrast, has a high price tag for the taxpayer: The project has cost $50 billion in development since the program's inception in 2006. All of this makes NASA's SLS a poor competitor to SpaceX's shiny new rocket.

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says he's confident he can get costs under control in shareholder letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +38 min

Further, as machine learning adoption has continued to accelerate, customers have yearned for lower-cost GPUs (the chips most commonly used for machine learning). While some areas of the economy have struggled over the past few years, Amazon Business has thrived. Some people have never heard of Amazon Business, but, our business customers love it. For years, Amazon customers had asked us when we'd offer them an online pharmacy as their frustrations mounted with current providers. More recently, a newer form of machine learning, called Generative AI, has burst onto the scene and promises to significantly accelerate machine learning adoption.

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says his letter to shareholders follows one of the toughest economic years in recent memory. Read it in full.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +38 min

☆ Tech companies including Adobe are taking a new look at a big industry debt issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Rachel Curry | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Adobe cloud business insightsDespite the drag of technical debt that the data suggests, some industry executives say it gets a bad reputation. In this sense, technical debt is a signal of iteration. Adobe head of strategic development for creative cloud partnerships Chris Duffey is looking to reshape technical debt. "I would offer to reframe technical debt as the value of insight gathering throughout the innovation creation process," Duffey said. Despite reduction of operational costs, legacy systems in the technical debt bucket are core operational functions that an organization can't just turn off.

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