DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Adobe's new AI Photoshop tool could save photographers hours of editing time by instantly extending images and adding new elements
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Adobe has launched a generative AI tool into Photoshop for the first time. The tool is currently available to paying Photoshop users in a beta, and will be released to the public later this year. Adobe Photoshop is joining the generative artificial intelligence boom ignited by OpenAI's popular ChatGPT. Adobe's Firefly generative AI was trained on Adobe's own library of stock images, as well as other licensed and public domain images. AdobeThe new AI tools can quickly change the sky or add individual things like a tent, person, shooting star, or flying car Adobe

☆ Google employees bombard leaders with questions about the company's strategy, asking if it's become too AI-focused
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Top of mind for employees was AI, including the company's recent showcase of generative AI products at its I/O developer conference on May 10. But staffers have concerns about the impacts of Google's aggressive push to build generative AI into all of its products. These OKRs were written to "rally" teams to incorporate AI into Google's products, Pichai said. 'People don't want to just hear AI-generated content'Another submitted question read: "LLMs are inundating the internet with AI-generated content, such as websites, books, images, music, and videos. This AI-generated content may eventually lead to a decline in internet quality, which may directly affect the quality of Google's search results.

☆ As generative AI dominates Google's product lineup, employees ask leaders: What's going on with Assistant and Nest?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Generative AI was undoubtedly the star of Google's I/O developer conference. Google also recently reshuffled its Assistant team to focus more on Bard, CNBC previously reported. CEO Sundar Pichai said there was "a reason" the Assistant team was also working on Bard, before handing it to Sissie Hsiao, Google's head of Assistant and Bard. Google's voice concierge wasn't the only product MIA from I/O – Nest, the company's brand of smart home speakers. Google's Nest manager Sameer Bansal said in response that Nest is a "core part" of the device strategy.

☆ 3 of our tech stocks are in the news. Here are the takeaways from the headlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Here's a breakdown of the news, and how the headlines impact our investment approaches to the companies. Morgan Stanley likes PANW PANW YTD mountain Palo Alto Networks' year-to-date stock performance. Despite concerns around overall tech spending, Morgan Stanley said that companies still want to streamline their cybersecurity spending. Meta's stock has, of course, been on a tear since bottoming under $89 per share back in November. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long PANW, META, GOOGL and AAPL.

☆ Googlers are poking fun at the company's I/O conference with memes about expensive phones, layoffs, and a new mascot named 'Lip Duck'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google held its annual I/O conference last week, and employees are celebrating and lampooning the event via the time-honored tradition of memes. Google announced a series of updates to Bard at the event, including integrations with Google products and the ability to analyze images. Anonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceOf course, Google focused this year's I/O almost entirely on new generative AI products. Anonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceWe also regret to inform you that Google has a new mascot. Anonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceOf course, it wasn't all snark.

☆ How Wall Street pros traded 7 of our Club stocks, including Salesforce, in the first quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Lots of Club holdings, including Nvidia (NVDA) and Alphabet (GOOGL), were among the stocks traded by some of Wall Street's biggest investors and money managers in the first quarter. That firm, Jeffrey Ubben's Inclusive Capital, had owned 1.63 million Salesforce shares at the end of December, worth nearly $217 million at the time. Jeff Smith's Starboard Value also sold some Salesforce shares in Q1, leaving the firm with 2.5 million shares at the end of March. Mason Morfit's ValueAct Capital amplified its Salesforce stake in the first quarter, ending with 3.5 million shares, up from just 560,221 shares at the end of 2022. Loeb's Third Point amassed 4.75 million shares of Alphabet, worth $492.7 million at the end of the first quarter.

While Alphabet has had a strong 2023, Loop Capital thinks the proliferation of artificial intelligence could hinder the stock going forward. Loop downgraded Alphabet to hold from buy. We disagree however with management's characterization that AI proliferation is similar [to] the transition to mobile. Loop found that following Meta, Alphabet has the highest total GAAP expenses per employee among the big four tech names including Microsoft and Apple. "We think long-term structural uncertainties surrounding the AI transition will keep investors nervous as the landscape evolves and put a ceiling on valuation," said the analyst.

☆ Google employees reportedly joked about playing drinking games and made up a song to the tune of 'Old MacDonald' to mock how many times execs said AI at I/O developer conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google employees are reportedly happy with products revealed at the company's annual development conference, but are still making jokes. CNBC cited messages and memes from internal communications mocking how often AI was mentioned. Some employees said they should take a shot every time AI was mentioned by a Google executive. The internal messaging site is often used by Google employees to make jokes at the expense of the company and executives including CEO Sundar Pichai. Last month, Insider reported that a group of executives including Pichai and Mark Zuckerberg said "AI" at least 168 times on their recent first quarter earnings calls.

☆ Google staffers praise engineers for I/O, poke fun at execs because they 'just kept saying A.I.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Google employees were paying close attention to the company's annual developer conference this week as well as to Wall Street's overwhelmingly positive reaction. When in it came to doling out credit for the 4.3% stock pop that followed Google I/O, many staffers favored the company's engineers over its executives, according to internal conversations viewed by CNBC. On Google's internal site, Memegen, the most popular meme that came from the event showed side-by-side images of parent company Alphabet's stock price. The slide, which has received thousands of "up-votes," said on the left, "Execs cost cutting and buying back stock," over a chart with the stock price going down. On the right, a chart appeared with the stock going up below the words, "Eng[ineers] getting stuff done."

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: PTN, BYND, GOOGL, PACW and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The entertainment giant also reported revenue and earnings in line with Wall Street's estimates, according to Refinitiv. AppLovin — Shares popped 23.53% following the company's first-quarter revenue beat. Unity Software's revenue of $500 million beat the $480 million expected from analysts polled by Refinitiv. Tapestry — Shares of the Coach parent jumped 8.27% after the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings and revenue for its latest quarter. Its first-quarter revenue came in at $441 million, versus analyst estimates of $425 million, according to Refinitiv.

☆ Alphabet gains $56 billion in market value after it unveils AI 'snapshots' for Google Search
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Alphabet stock surged as much as 5% on Wednesday after it made several AI announcements at its I/O developer conference. The company unveiled "AI Snapshot" for Google Search and said it's incorporating generative AI capabilities across its product suite. "With generative AI we are taking the next step... we are reimagining all our core products, including search," CEO Sundar Pichai said. The company announced "AI Snapshot," which integrates generative AI results directly on top of Google's search results. Microsoft's Bing Search has taken a similar approach, in which search query results show both an AI section as well as traditional search results on the same page.

☆ A.I. takes center stage at Alphabet's annual Google I/O conference
▼ + 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 EmailA.I. takes center stage at Alphabet's annual Google I/O conferenceGoogle's annual developer conference, I/O, took place in Mountain View, California on Wednesday. Google showed off what its internal teams have been working on over the past year — and this cycle was particularly heavy on artificial intelligence and so-called language models, the hottest part of the technology industry.

☆ Google's A.I. reputation becomes focal point of Google I/O 2023
▼ + 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 EmailGoogle's A.I. reputation becomes focal point of Google I/O 2023CNBC's Deirdre Bosa joins 'The Exchange' to discuss Google's annual developer conference, how Google will integrate A.I. into search, and competition in the A.I.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Amazon is offering money to pick up your order, ChatGPT writes a “Succession” scene, and tips from an OnlyFans creator
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon Astro Amazon1. Internal documents revealed that Amazon plans to make Astro "more intelligent, more useful, and conversational." The project is internally called "Burnham" and is the latest example of Amazon's push to bring AI to its services and products. Internal documents signal that Amazon is pretty confident that this is a major upgrade to the home robot. Amazon is offering $10 for you to pick up your own order.

☆ Google I/O event: first foldable phone, new tablets and more AI features
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Pixel FoldThe Google Pixel Fold is the company's first foray into foldable phones GoogleGoogle became the latest tech company to unveil a foldable smartphone. Like other foldables, the $1799 Pixel Fold features a vertical hinge that can be opened to reveal a tablet-like display. The Pixel Fold is very much a phone first: when it’s unfolded, it opens up into a 7.6-inch screen, and moves on Google’s custom-built 180-degree hinge. Under the hood, the 11-inch tablet is powered by Google’s Tensor G2 chips, which bring long-lasting battery life and AI features to the device. AI features coming to searchGoogle is also moving forward with plans to bring AI chat features to its core search engine amid a renewed arms race over the technology in Silicon Valley.

Google kicked off its I/O developer conference at 1 p.m. It's where the Alphabet-owned firm typically unveils new gadgets and software that spur excitement among consumers and developers who use the company's software. Google is accelerating efforts to integrate AI into its products, with an internal "code red" being declared around the effort, CNBC reported. AI updates shown off at the event could include a new large language model called PaLM 2, additional Bard chat integrations into Google Search, and possibly adding generative AI features into Google Docs and Sheets, CNBC reported. Follow along with Google I/O through our updates below or by tuning in live on YouTube:

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, JPMorgan, PayPal, Shoals & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

JPMorgan initiates Alkami as overweight JPMorgan said the regional banking software company has strong fundamentals. " Bernstein reiterates Microsoft as outperform Bernstein said AI is going "everywhere and in everything" that Microsoft does. Goldman Sachs reiterates PayPal as buy Goldman said it sees further earnings upside after the company's earnings report on Monday. " Raymond James reiterates Palantir as strong buy Raymond James said it's standing by its strong buy rating on shares of the AI beneficiary. Credit Suisse downgrades PayPal to neutral from outperform Credit Suisse said it's too "challenging" to recommend shares right now.

Organizations: & & .

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Palantir, Novavax, Under Armour and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Palantir – Palantir shares popped nearly 20% after the software company beat first-quarter estimates and said it anticipates full-year profitability. The firm also reaffirmed full-year revenue guidance and raised its full-year adjusted EBITDA expectations, while cutting 6% of its workforce. Under Armour — The apparel company slipped 5.3% after the company projected earnings per share and revenue to be short of Wall Street expectations for the full-year. Fisker — Shares shed 4.8% after the automotive company's first quarter earnings came in under Wall Street forecasts. Trex Company — Trex Company jumped 8.1% after the maker of wood-alternative decking and railing topped analysts' first-quarter expectations, and issued stronger-than-expected second-quarter revenue guidance.

☆ Alphabet to unveil A.I. updates at Google I/O, showing off creative writing and coding capabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

According to internal documents about Google I/O viewed by CNBC, the company will unveil PaLM 2, its most recent and advanced LLM. It's also performed a broad range of coding and math tests as well as creative writing tests and analysis. The updates come as competition ramps up in the AI arm's race, with Google and Microsoft racing to incorporate chat AI technology into their products. Outside of the AI sphere, Google will show off its new foldable phone, The Pixel Fold, as CNBC previously reported. Google plans to market the Pixel Fold as water-resistant and pocket-sized.

☆ Google plans to upgrade search with AI chat, video clips- WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 6 (Reuters) - Google is planning to make its search engine more "visual, snackable, personal, and human," with a focus on serving young people globally, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing documents. The move comes as artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as ChatGPT are rapidly gaining in popularity, highlighting a technology that could upend the way businesses and society operate. At its annual I/O developer conference in the coming week, Google is expected to debut new features that allow users to carry out conversations with an AI program, a project code-named "Magi," WSJ added, citing people familiar with the matter. Google, part of Alphabet Inc., did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ This is Google’s new folding phone
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Just a few days ahead of its product launch, Google unveiled an early look at its first foldable smartphone. In a video posted to Twitter and YouTube, the company teased a Pixel phone with a vertical hinge that can be opened to reveal a tablet-like display. According to ABI Research, foldable and flexible displays made up about 0.7% of the smartphone market in 2021, and in 2022 expected to fall just shy of 2%. Google's new Pixel Fold smartphone From Google StoreHigh price points have limited consumer adoption, too. The Pixel Fold is rumored to start at $1,700.

☆ Microsoft opens up Bing access and adds chat history and export features
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft said Thursday that it's dispensing with the waiting list it has had in place for the past three months for its revamped Bing search engine, allowing anyone with a Microsoft account to use it. Kumar said the company will provide more details on how developers can build for the Bing chatbot at its Microsoft Build developer conference, which starts on May 23. That means Google has yet to allow people to use the Bing chatbot from Google's dominant Chrome browser. Microsoft includes Edge in its Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems, and the default search engine in Edge is Bing. may ruin Alphabet's only real business: Google Search, says CIC Wealth's Malcolm Ethridge

☆ Apple beats revenue, profit estimate on iPhone sales growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Profit was flat at $1.52 per share, compared with estimates of a 5.7% fall to $1.43 per share, according to Refinitiv data. IPhone sales rose 1.5% to $51.33 billion, compared with analyst expectations of a 3.3% decline to $48.9 billion, according to Refinitiv. Mac sales fell more than 30% to $7.17 billion compared with analyst estimates of a 25% decline to $7.8 billion, according to Refinitiv. Apple's sales fared only slightly better than PC unit shipments in the market, which fell 33% in the calendar first quarter, according to Canalys data. Both were roughly the same as the 23 cents-per-share dividend and previous $90 billion share repurchase increase the company announced a year ago.

☆ Google to launch its first foldable phone, the 'Pixel Fold,' in June
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Google will launch its first foldable smartphone sometime in June, challenging Samsung's market-leading foldable phone business, according to internal communications viewed by CNBC. The Pixel Fold, known internally by the codename "Felix," will have the "most durable hinge on a foldable" phone, according to the documents. While hardware is a small fraction of Google’s revenue, the Pixel Fold is the most expensive phone in the company's Google Pixel family. The Pixel Fold will give Google a chance to show what a fully Google-made foldable phone experience is like. For example, Google plans to offer a trade-in option to swap in a current Pixel, iPhone or an Android-powered phone for a discount on the Pixel Fold.

☆ Investor Dan Niles likes these tech stocks heading into the second quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The market rally will fade soon, but certain tech names are poised to outperform, according to hedge fund manager Dan Niles. The stock market is ending the first quarter higher , with tech stocks leading the way. The Technology Select SPDR ETF is up 9% in March, more than any other sector ETF. Outside of tech, Niles sees opportunity in sports-betting name DraftKings . Overall, he expects the market rally to be short lived.

Search resuls for: "Developer Conference"

25 mentions found