Category: Business

Microsoft to pursue superintelligence after OpenAI deal Microsoft Corp. is pursuing a more powerful form of AI called “superintelligence” it hopes will be capable of making advances in areas like medicine and materials science. Go to techxplore

Disney pulls ABC, ESPN and more from YouTube TV as talks break down YouTube TV viewers can no longer see Disney channels including ABC and ESPN after the two sides failed to agree on a new content distribution deal. Go to techxplore

AI giants turn to massive debt to finance tech race Meta raised $30 billion in debt on Thursday, as tech giants flush with cash turn to borrowing to finance the expensive race to lead in artificial intelligence. Go to techxplore

Amid renewable-energy boom, study explores options for electricity market Renewable energy sources like wind and solar generation now account for over 20% of electricity in the U.S., and keep growing after large-scale production has more than doubled since 2000. Go to techxplore

How digital technologies can support a circular economy The role of digital technologies, such as IoT, 3D printing, and digital platforms, holds significant potential for supporting a circular economy. However, digital technologies are not a magic fix that can instantly change how physical resources are used and produced to prevent waste and promote a circular…

OpenAI’s Atlas browser promises ultimate convenience. But the glossy marketing masks safety risks Last week, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Atlas, a web browser that promises to revolutionize how we interact with the internet. The company’s CEO, Sam Altman, described it as a “once-a-decade opportunity” to rethink how we browse the web. Go to techxplore

After OpenAI’s new ‘buy it in ChatGPT’ trial, how soon will AI be online shopping for us? Buying and selling online with e-commerce is old news. We’re entering the age of A-commerce, where artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly able to shop for us. Go to techxplore

Why electricity costs so much in the UK (it’s not all about the weather) The UK government is reportedly considering abandoning its goal of removing fossil fuels from the country’s electricity supply by 2030 in an attempt to keep energy bills down. Go to techxplore

EU accuses Meta, TikTok of breaking digital content rules The EU accused Meta and TikTok on Friday of breaking the bloc’s digital content rules, putting the companies at risk of hefty fines. Go to techxplore

Europeans favor solar power and local energy over imports, study finds Renewable energy is today the cheapest source of electricity available. In order to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, the share of renewables must be expanded to 100% by 2030. However, this expansion comes with an increase in land use, leading to rising…

What the US$55 billion Electronic Arts takeover means for video game workers and the industry Electronic Arts (EA) is one of the world’s largest gaming companies. It has agreed to be acquired for US$55 billion in the second largest buyout in the industry’s history. Go to techxplore

AI and online shopping: How Shein, Temu and others get you hooked In recent years, several websites selling ultra-low-cost goods have appeared on the French market. Shein, Temu and AliExpress, to name but a few, are shaking up the online retail landscape. According to a study conducted by BPCE Digital & Payments, the number of…

An Amazon outage has rattled the internet. A computer scientist explains why the ‘cloud’ needs to change The world’s largest cloud computing platform, Amazon Web Services (AWS), has experienced a major outage that has impacted thousands of organizations, including banks, financial software platforms such as Xero, and social media platforms such as Snapchat. Go to…

OpenAI launches Atlas browser to compete with Google Chrome OpenAI said Tuesday it is introducing its own web browser, Atlas, putting the ChatGPT maker in direct competition with Google as more internet users rely on artificial intelligence to answer their questions. Go to techxplore

Expert comment: What is the future of European industrial and energy policy? Jan Rosenow, Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute, has addressed energy ministers from all 27 member states at the European Union’s Energy Council, offering a decisive, research-backed roadmap to restore Europe’s industrial competitiveness, strengthen energy…

US court bars NSO Group from installing spyware on WhatsApp A US judge on Friday granted an injunction barring Israeli spyware maker NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp users but slashed a $168 million damages award at trial to just $4 million. Go to techxplore

FAA allows Boeing to increase 737 Max production nearly two years after door plug flew off plane The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it will allow Boeing to produce more 737 Max airplanes by increasing the monthly limit that it imposed after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines jet that the company built.…

What Apple’s new 5-year deal with Formula 1 means for US fans Formula 1 announced a five-year deal Friday with Apple, which will be the global motorsports series’ U.S. broadcast partner beginning next season. Go to techxplore

Meta adds parental controls for AI-teen interactions Meta is adding parental controls for kids’ interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots—including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether—beginning early next year. Go to techxplore

Could digital currencies end banking as we know it? The future of money Throughout history, control over money has been one of the most powerful levers of state authority. Rulers have long understood that whoever issues and manages the currency also commands the economy and, by extension, society itself. Go to techxplore

California enacts first US law requiring AI chatbot safety measures California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday signed into law a first-of-its-kind law regulating artificial intelligence chatbots, defying a push from the White House to leave such technology unchecked. Go to techxplore

What could burst the AI bubble? Some of the world’s biggest tech firms have soared in value over the last year. As AI evolves at pace, there are hopes that it will improve lives in ways that people could never have imagined a decade ago—in sectors as diverse as health care, employment and scientific discovery.…

Austria finds Microsoft ‘illegally’ tracked students: Privacy campaign group Austria’s data protection authority has determined that Microsoft “illegally” tracked students using its education software and must grant them access to their data, a privacy campaign group said Friday. Go to techxplore

UK watchdog targets Google’s ‘strategic’ role in search ads and a competitive market Britain’s antitrust watchdog on Friday labeled Google a “strategic” player in the online search advertising market, paving the way for regulators to force the company to change its business practices to ensure more competition in that market. Go to techxplore

The data center boom is here: Experts explain how to build AI infrastructure correctly To fast-track the buildout of data centers that power artificial intelligence (AI), tech giants like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, and OpenAI are pouring money into construction projects. Globally, companies are predicted to spend $375 billion in 2025 on AI infrastructure—a…

Complex decisions still require human skills as AI supports public decision-making, says researcher Today, AI technologies are being used in the public sector for administrative cases and as support in the various steps that lead up to a decision. This adds a transparency in that it shows the pathway to the decision. Go to techxplore

Air India’s midair emergency sparks new alarm over the safety of the Boeing Dreamliner India’s leading body of pilots has asked the civil aviation regulator to inspect all Boeing 787 Dreamliners operating in the country for electrical issues after one of the planes abruptly deployed an emergency power system midair over the weekend. Go to…

AI in an ‘industrial bubble’ but will benefit society: Bezos Artificial intelligence technology is in an “industrial bubble,” Amazon founder Jeff Bezos told a tech conference in Italy on Friday, but the benefits to society will be “immense.” Go to techxplore

A bold new blueprint for economically viable solar hydrogen A review reimagines solar-driven water electrolysis not as a mere hydrogen production technology but instead as a relatively versatile platform for sustainable chemical manufacturing, according to Professor Fatwa F. Abdi from the School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK). Go to…

Boom or bubble: How long can the AI investment craze last? The staggering investments in artificial intelligence keep coming: Last week, AI chip giant Nvidia announced it would invest $100 billion to help OpenAI, the frontrunner in generative AI, build data centers. Go to techxplore

Using AI to identify sketchy massage parlors Human trafficking rings are at their most dangerous when they masquerade as legitimate commercial activity. Illicit massage businesses (IMBs) are one of the most common ways in which exploitive networks operate in plain sight. Go to techxplore

OpenAI’s ChatGPT now lets users buy from Etsy, Shopify in push for chatbot shopping OpenAI is turning ChatGPT into a virtual merchant that can help sell goods for Etsy and Shopify as the artificial intelligence company looks for new revenue in online commerce. Go to techxplore

More questions than answers surround Trump’s TikTok deal President Donald Trump insists he has found a solution to keep TikTok alive in the United States through a group of investors who will buy the short-video app from its Chinese owners in accordance with US law. Go to techxplore

FAA restores Boeing’s ability to certify Max jets for flight more than 6 years after fatal crashes Boeing is getting back the ability to perform final safety inspections on 737 Max jetliners and certify the planes for flight more than six years after crashes of the then-new model killed 346 people, the Federal Aviation Administration…

Facebook, Instagram to offer paid ad-free UK subscriptions Meta announced Friday that Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will be able to buy ad-free subscriptions, extending a model already in place in Europe, to comply with regulation. Go to techxplore

Turkish Airlines inks big Boeing deal after Erdogan visits US Turkish Airlines announced on Friday a deal to buy up to 225 Boeing jets, one day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made his first White House visit since 2019. Go to techxplore

Despite Google’s recent victory, a flurry of competition cases could still change how the tech giants do business A US judge recently decided not to break up Google, despite a ruling last year that the company held a monopoly in the online search market. Between Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Meta, there are more than…

Professional ambition often outweighs security concerns in cloud computing adoption New insights into how and why people choose to adopt cloud computing services is reported in the International Journal of Services, Economics and Management. The research found that professional ambition often outweighs concerns about data security when signing up for such services. Go to techxplore