DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Amazon CEO pledges AI investments will pay off as capital expenditures surge 81%
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"I think we've proven over time that we can drive enough operating income and free cash flow to make this a very successful return on invested capital business," Jassy said. "We expect the same thing will happen here with generative AI." The jump in spending is primarily being driven by generative AI investments, Jassy said. A day earlier, Alphabet CFO Anat Ashkenazi warned the company expects capital spending to grow in 2025. Amazon has said its cloud unit has picked up more business from companies that need infrastructure to deploy generative AI models.

Persons: Andy Jassy, Jassy, OpenAI, we're, Mark Zuckerberg, Anat Ashkenazi, It's, it's Organizations: Amazon Web Services, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon Locations: OpenAI

☆ AI is coming to Google Maps to help you find inspiration for what to do in an area
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google Maps and its platforms rolled out a Gemini AI update that enhances its location services. Starting this week, the company's Gemini AI will be integrated into Google Maps in the US on Android and iOS. Google vice president Miriam Daniel told Business Insider that the presentation of the results in Google Maps and the Gemini app might look different, "but the fundamental core is somewhat the same." AdvertisementDrivers will be able to report incidents within Google Maps. The tech giant has been working on integrating AI into various platforms, such as AI Overviews in Google search results.

Persons: —, Miriam Daniel, Susanne Franz, We're, Daniel Organizations: Google, Gemini, Drivers, Service, Waze, Android, Business

☆ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says new AI model taking a while because 'we can't ship' as quickly as hoped
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"All of these models have gotten quite complex and we can't ship as many things in parallel as we'd like to," Altman wrote during a Reddit AMA. Regarding the next version of DALL-E, Altman wrote that the "next update will be worth the wait" but that there's no "release plan yet." The move also positions OpenAI as more of a competitor to Microsoft, which has invested close to $14 billion in OpenAI. For Altman, Reddit isn't just a communications platform. WATCH: OpenAI takes on Google with ChatGPT search

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, OpenAI, Sora, Kevin Weil, Srinivas Narayanan, Microsoft's Bing, Narayanan, Bing, Reddit isn't Organizations: Google, CNBC, AVM Vision, ChatGPT, Microsoft Locations: San Francisco , California, OpenAI, ChatGPT

☆ Microsoft's new AI CEO rolled out his first big product update. Some staff and users say the previous version was better.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It was is the first major release from Microsoft's new consumer AI org, under Mustafa Suleyman. It was the first major product release from Mustafa Suleyman's new Microsoft AI group, and it's had a mixed reception so far. AdvertisementHigh expectationsMicrosoft hired Suleyman in March to oversee consumer AI products such as the Bing search engine and the Copilot AI chatbot . For instance, Suleyman's consumer Copilot app is separate from an AI Copilot tool that Microsoft offers as part of its M365 suite of business software. User feedbackIn the public App Store reviews, users complained about several specific issues that have arisen since the consumer AI Copilot app was updated Oct. 1.

Persons: Mustafa Suleyman, —, Mustafa Suleyman's, it's, Suleyman, Susanne Franz, Divya Kumar, Kumar Organizations: Microsoft, Service, Business, Copilot

☆ Microsoft's stock heads for worst day in two years after disappointing forecast
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks at a company event on artificial intelligence technologies in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 30, 2024. Microsoft 's better-than-expected earnings report wasn't enough to prevent the stock's steepest selloff in two years, as investors instead focused on the company's forecast for the current period. Microsoft shares fell more than 5% on Thursday and headed for their worst day since Oct. 26, 2022, when they dropped 7.7%. Amazon , which leads the cloud infrastructure market, is scheduled to report results after the close on Thursday. Net income rose 11% to $24.67 billion from $22.29 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Amy Hood Organizations: Microsoft, Revenue, Google, BofA Global Research Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia

☆ OpenAI launches ChatGPT search
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Kate Rooney | ) 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 EmailOpenAI launches ChatGPT searchCNBC's Kate Rooney joins 'The Exchange' to report on OpenAI's new entry to take on search engines.

Persons: Kate Rooney

☆ Amazon's CEO is even more bullish on the AI opportunity
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon's AI services are rapidly growing, with significant demand for AWS's AI chips. AdvertisementJust when you thought Big Tech executives couldn't get more bullish on AI, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy upped the ante on Thursday. Amazon has launched a number of new AI services in recent years, including Bedrock, an AI development tool, the Rufus shopping agent, and homegrown AI chips called Inferentia and Trainium. Amazon's AI business is "growing three times faster at its stage of evolution than AWS did itself," he added. AdvertisementCustomers are realizing that AI model training and inference "could get costly" and AWS's AI chips can be "very compelling" in terms of its price, the CEO explained.

Persons: Jassy, —, couldn't, Andy Jassy, We've, unravels ChatGPT, Rufus Organizations: Service, Big Tech, Amazon, Services Locations: capex

☆ OpenAI launches ChatGPT search, competing with Google and Microsoft
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

ChatGPT search offers up-to-the-minute sports scores, stock quotes, news, weather and more, powered by real-time web search and partnerships with news and data providers, according to the company. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards OpenAI's ChatGPT search OpenAIThe move also positions OpenAI as more of a competitor to Microsoft and its businesses. ChatGPT will "automatically search the web based on what you ask," according to an OpenAI blog post. Users can manually click the web search icon within ChatGPT to search if they choose. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards OpenAI's ChatGPT search OpenAI

Persons: Sam Altman, Didem, Bing, OpenAI, Altman, Axel Springer, Condé Nast, Dotdash Meredith Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Microsoft, Google, ChatGPT, Associated Press, Reuters, Hearst, Financial Times, News Corp, Vox Media Locations: ChatGPT, OpenAI

But when it comes to technology, one of the most powerful people shaping regulation isn't a candidate at all. Altman, the OpenAI co-founder and CEO, meanwhile, has put on a masterclass in wooing Washington, learning from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and social media's missteps in front of Congress. Lawmakers have now begun embracing AI in a way they never did social media. That new messaging on AI regulation is largely thanks to Altman turning OpenAI into a lobbying powerhouse. Now, he's bringing his playbook to OpenAI, where his message to Washington is that if the U.S. doesn't lead the way in AI, an autocratic nation like China will.

Persons: It's Sam Altman, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, ChatGPT, Katie Harbath, They're, Chris Lehane, Lehane, Bill Clinton, doesn't Organizations: Republican, Democratic, Meta, Lawmakers, China, D.C Locations: Washington, OpenAI, U.S, China, American

☆ Evertune is building marketing analytics tools for LLMs. Check out the pitch deck it used to launch from stealth with $4 million in seed funding from Eniac.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The startup offers marketing analytics tools to help brands boost their SEO on LLMs like ChatGPT. Check out the 17-slide pitch deck Evertune used to raise its $4 million seed funding round. The startup, Evertune, launched from stealth today with $4 million in seed funding, it confirmed exclusively to Business Insider. AdvertisementAt Evertune, Stempeck said that he and his co-founders, Ed Chater and Poul Costinsky, are focusing on being the leader in intersection between advertising and AI. Check out the 17-slide pitch deck Evertune used to raise its $4 million seed funding round.

Persons: Evertune, Roger Ehrenberg, —, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's, Anthropic's Claude, Brian Stempeck, Evertune's, Stempeck —, LLMs, Stempeck, Ed Chater, Poul Costinsky Organizations: Eniac Ventures, Nextview, Service, Business, New York VC, NextView Ventures, Aperiam Ventures

☆ Microsoft is still spending massively on AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Investors have been focused on Big Tech AI spending and returns. That's a worry at Microsoft partly because feedback on the company's Copilot AI has been mixed. Others have been concerned that Big Tech spending on artificial intelligence is outpacing results. Goldman said Microsoft has been counting on its AI Copilot and other generative AI efforts at Windows, Edge, and Microsoft 365 to draw enterprise clients. AdvertisementMuch of Microsoft's spending has been going toward data centers, graphics processing units, and other AI projects.

Persons: —, Jeremy Goldman, Goldman, it's, Satya Nadella, Francine McKenna Organizations: Investors, Big Tech, Service, Microsoft, Apple, Windows, Bloomberg Locations: Redmond, Washington, OpenAI

☆ Elon Musk's xAI startup could soon be worth many times more than X
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk's xAI is raising fresh funding at a $40 billion valuation, the WSJ reported. Social media network X, meanwhile, is currently valued at $9.4 billion, according to Fidelity filings. AdvertisementA new funding round in the works for xAI could value Elon Musk's startup at more than four times what his social media network, X, is currently worth, according to recent Fidelity filings. The AI startup is reportedly in talks to raise funding at a $40 billion valuation, according to the Wall Street Journal. Assuming the investment was made at X's $44 billion valuation, the fund now estimates X's value to be around $9.4 billion.

Persons: Elon Musk's, —, Musk, ChatGPT, That's Organizations: Social, Fidelity, Service, Elon, Wall Street, Sequoia Capital, Growth Locations: a16z, xAI

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Alphabet, Snap, Boeing, First Solar, Reddit, AMD & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Here are Wednesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Bank of America reiterates Advanced Micro Devices as buy Bank of America said the stock is best positioned following earnings on Tuesday. JPMorgan reiterates First Solar as overweight The firm said the solar company is still best positioned following earnings on Tuesday. "Attractive entry point ahead of EDN's tariff review, a key value driver that could drive significant earnings growth & trigger stock re-rating. "We remain confident in BOOT's ability to deliver attractive relative earnings growth supported by compelling unit expansion opportunity." Raymond James downgrades Crocs to market perform from outperform Raymond James downgraded the shoe company following earnings citing margin pressures.

Persons: Wells, Reddit, Morgan Stanley, Raymond James, it's, Bernstein, Baird, Raymond James downgrades Qorvo, Barclays downgrades Lear, Goldman Sachs, Chipotle, Goldman, Raymond James downgrades Crocs, Wedbush downgrades Williams Organizations: Bank of America, Devices, AMD, JPMorgan, Catalyst, " Bank of America, DoJ, Citi, YouTube, Bank of, Holdings, of America, Incyte, Boeing, UBS, Barrick Gold, Barrick, Barclays, CMG, Walmart, Apple, Apple Intelligence, 3Q, 4Q, WSM Locations: China, OW, America, Sonoma

☆ Microsoft set to report quarterly results after the close
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft will report results for its fiscal first quarter after the close of regular trading on Wednesday. Mobility and security services, along with some Windows revenue, will now be part of the Productivity and Business Processes unit, which includes Office software. Analysts expect $24.04 billion in revenue from the Intelligent Cloud segment that includes Azure cloud infrastructure. Amazon , which leads the cloud infrastructure market, is slated to report results after the close on Thursday. During the quarter, Microsoft worked to help customers recover after a flawed update to CrowdStrike security software brought down Windows PCs globally.

Persons: Satya Nadella, OpenAI Organizations: Partnership for Global Infrastructure, Microsoft, Productivity, Gartner, Windows, BlackRock, UBS, Capital, Nasdaq Locations: Borgo, Savelletri, Italy

☆ Microsoft CFO says OpenAI investment will cut into profit this quarter
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft 's massive investment in OpenAI is weighing on earnings. The accounting approach refers to a company's share of the invested company's profit or loss in a given period, a Microsoft spokesperson said. The OpenAI investment disclosure was new for Microsoft, but the company has registered over $2.3 billion in other expense in the past four quarters. On the earnings call, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the collaboration with OpenAI has benefited both parties and that the company feels good about "our investment stake in OpenAI." WATCH: Oppenheimer downgrades Microsoft: OpenAI losses are not properly priced in

Persons: Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Amy Hood, OpenAI, Hood, Microsoft's, OpenAI's, OpenAI didn't, Oppenheimer Organizations: Microsoft, Google, OpenAI Locations: San Francisco, OpenAI

☆ Meta's stock drop tells the wrong story on earnings — so, we're boosting our price target
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Don't let the after-hours stock action fool you, Meta Platforms delivered one heck of a strong third quarter and a current quarter revenue guide above expectations. Ok, now that the "bad" is out of the way, let's look at what investors should really be focused on as they consider what to do with Meta stock. Meta Platforms Why we own it : We value Meta Platforms for its targeted advertising dominance. Notably, Meta AI, the company's version of a ChatGPT-type generative artificial intelligence search/answer engine, now has over 500 million monthly active users. Looking ahead to 2025, the team noted on the release, "We continue to expect significant capital expenditures growth in 2025.

Persons: biggie, that's, China's ByteDance, Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Zuckerberg, we're, Meta, it's, haven't, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Andrej Sokolow Organizations: LSEG, Meta, People, Management, China's, Reality Labs, Nvidia, ., Facebook, CNBC, Getty Locations: Ray, capex

☆ ‘There are no guardrails.’ This mom believes an AI chatbot is responsible for her son’s suicide
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Globally: The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world. Garcia believes Character.AI is responsible for the death of her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, who died by suicide in February, according to a lawsuit she filed against the company last week. When Garcia first heard he was interacting with an AI chatbot, she said she thought it was something like a video game. However, within months of starting to use the platform, Setzer became “noticeably withdrawn, spent more and more time alone in his bedroom, and began suffering from low self-esteem. “There were no suicide pop-up boxes that said, ‘If you need help, please call the suicide crisis hotline.’ None of that,” she said.

Persons: Megan Garcia, Garcia, Character.AI, Sewell Setzer III, Setzer, “, ” Garcia, ” –, Character.AI's chatbots, chatbot Setzer, she, ” “, ”, Gabby Jones, I’m, That’s, ” Setzer, Matthew Bergman, Bergman, Sewell, Noam Shazeer, Daniel De Freitas, weren’t Organizations: New, New York CNN, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders, CNN, Trust, Safety, Prevention, Junior Varsity, Bloomberg, Getty, Character.AI, Social Media, Law Center, Meta, Google, Apple Locations: New York, Florida, Brooklyn , New York

☆ We reiterate our 1 rating on Microsoft despite its softer guidance — here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Nearly 70% of the Fortune 500 is using Microsoft 365 Copilot and the company is seeing faster customer adoption than any other new Microsoft 365 Suite. MSFT YTD mountain Microsoft YTD Despite these positive trends and innovations, revenue guidance for next quarter fell a touch short of expectations. Microsoft 365 Commercial cloud revenue growth increased 16% year over year with seat growth up 8%. Microsoft 365 Consumer cloud revenue growth increased 7% year over year with subscribers increasing to 84.4 million from 82.4 million one quarter ago. Revenue growth ticked down sequentially to 33% annual growth, or 34% on a constant currency basis.

Persons: Nvidia's Blackwell, That's, —, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Microsoft Corporation Satya Nadella, Chalinee Thirasupa Organizations: Microsoft, Revenue, Fortune, Productivity, Dynamics, CNBC, Activision, Windows, Gaming, Microsoft Corporation Locations: OpenAI, Bangkok, Thailand

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow ChatGPT-maker OpenAI's new lobbying power tamed Capitol HillCome election day, the future of Big Tech won't be decided by either presidential candidate. Instead, OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman has emerged as one of the most powerful people shaping AI policy. The man behind ChatGPT has put on a masterclass in wooing Washington, learning from Mark Zuckerberg and social media's missteps in the past on the Hill. And he's turned OpenAI into a lobbying powerhouse, bringing on staff with deep ties to D.C. like its head of global affairs Chris Lehane.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, ChatGPT, Mark Zuckerberg, he's, Chris Lehane Organizations: Big Tech Locations: Washington

☆ Sam Altman’s Reddit stake now worth over $1 billion after post-earnings pop
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 9, 2024 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Sam Altman, the controversial CEO of OpenAI, has a stake in social media company Reddit that's worth over $1 billion as of post-market trading on Tuesday. Altman controls roughly 12.2 million shares of Reddit, a company he first invested in over a decade ago. Reddit shares soared about 20% in extended trading after the compny reported better-than-expected quarterly results and issued an optimistic forecast. Top shareholders were forbidden from selling Reddit shares for six months during the "lockup period," which expired in September.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, OpenAI's, Y, Reddit, Condé, Altman didn't, OpenAI, WilmerHale, — CNBC's Ari Levy, Cramer Organizations: Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, Reddit, Condé Nast, Advance Magazine Publishers, Fidelity, OpenAI, CNBC Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, Reddit's, Airbnb

☆ Chanel CEO describes the ChatGPT fail that happened while visiting Microsoft headquarters
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Jaures Yip | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chanel CEO Leena Nair visited Microsoft to discuss AI, she told Stanford's business school. Chanel is preparing for AI integration and testing experiments including chatbots, Nair said. AdvertisementChatGPT may be one of the major contenders in the AI race, but Chanel CEO Leena Nair was left slightly less than impressed by it during her trip to Microsoft headquarters. "And we're like, 'Show us a picture of a senior leadership team from Chanel visiting Microsoft' — it is all men in suits." Yes, 76% of my organization is women, 96% of my clients are women, female CEO," Nair said.

Persons: Leena Nair, Nair, Chanel, —, you've Organizations: Microsoft, Service, Stanford Graduate School, ChatGPT, Chanel, Unilever, Business Locations: Seattle

☆ Robert Downey Jr. says he would 'sue all future executives' if Marvel replicated his likeness. He's the second 'Avengers' star to speak out against AI.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Eammon Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Robert Downey Jr. says he would sue "future executives" if Marvel uses AI to replicate his likeness. Downey Jr. is the second "Avengers" star after Scarlett Johansson to criticize AI. AdvertisementRobert Downey Jr. told tech journalist Kara Swisher he would sue Marvel if the studio replicated his likeness with AI after his death. But Downey Jr. will return to the MCU to play a villain, Doctor Doom, in 2026's "Avengers: Doomsday." He added that he's not concerned about Marvel using AI for the moment.

Persons: Robert Downey Jr, Kara Swisher, Downey, Scarlett Johansson, —, Downey Jr, Tony Stark, Josh Brolin, Doctor Doom, he's, Swisher, he'd, Tony Stark's, I'm, gals, Christopher Reeve, OpenAI, Johansson, Sam Altman, Altman, cybercrime Organizations: Marvel, Service, Marvel Studios, Warner Bros

☆ UBS believes AI story is still in the 'early innings' and these are the stocks to play it
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Sean Conlon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"We believe we are still in the early stages of the AI growth story," UBS equity strategist Sundeep Gantori wrote in a Monday note to clients, noting the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 as an inflection point for AI adoption. "The company should benefit from healthy user engagement, improving monetization of Reels, and longer-term monetization of Instagram and WhatsApp offer longer-term opportunities," UBS wrote. Moving forward, UBS sees a favorable risk/reward profile for the name, citing steady iPhone growth and strong growth in its services, among others, as catalysts. UBS thinks this early adopter of AI applications is still "well placed" to benefit from use cases that are relevant to the industry. "While we agree that rising competition will result in some subscriber churn, we expect Netflix to continue to report strong growth globally."

Persons: Sundeep Gantori, Gantori, AAPL, INTC Organizations: UBS, Nvidia, Reality Labs, Apple, Intel, Apple Intelligence, Netflix

☆ Microsoft's GitHub expands beyond OpenAI, lets developers use AI models from Anthropic, Google
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft has a very expensive and very public relationship with artificial intelligence startup OpenAI. But one of Microsoft's most successful AI products, GitHub Copilot, is now going beyond OpenAI to give developers more choice in what models they want to use. Microsoft introduced GitHub Copilot in 2021, offering source code suggestions to software developers. Copilot relies on models from OpenAI, which has received billions of dollars in funding from Microsoft and has exploded in popularity since releasing ChatGPT in late 2022. At that point, it felt like "the right time" to add models from Anthropic and Google , Dohmke said.

Persons: Claude, Thomas Dohmke, They're, GitHub, Dohmke Organizations: Microsoft, OpenAI's, o1, CNBC, Google

☆ Hiring Is Broken. LinkedIn Thinks AI Can Fix It, and Help Your Career.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Amanda Hoover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It was an AI recruiter. And LinkedIn wants to fix the disconnect, in part by fighting AI … with AI. AdvertisementEarlier this year, the company rolled out new AI tools to premium subscribers. ZipRecruiter also rolled out revamped AI tools to help job seekers find better matches this summer. AdvertisementCanseco has not yet tried LinkedIn's AI tools because she isn't a premium user, but she could get access to them soon.

Persons: Paloma Canseco, She's, Robin, Canseco, Robin wasn't, I'm, Rohan Rajiv, Rajiv, Monster, résumés, Hayley Finegan, Finegan, who's, Josh Bersin, they're, Julia Pollak, ZipRecruiter's, ZipRecruiter, Millie Black, she's, Black Organizations: LinkedIn, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Human Resource Management

Search resuls for: "Chatgpt"

25 mentions found