The World Risks Focusing on the Wrong Things at COP28
Every year, the United Nations climate conference is gripped by major power rivalries over tiny terms. At COP27
2023-10-17 12:50
TSMC third-quarter profit to slide 30%, focus on how much growth to come
By Sarah Wu and Ben Blanchard TAIPEI Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd is expected to report a 30%
2023-10-17 11:50
China's Baidu unveils latest version of its Ernie AI model
BEIJING Baidu on Tuesday unveiled the newest version of its generative artificial intelligence (AI) model, Ernie 4.0. Ernie
2023-10-17 10:18
Climate Tech Investing Slides More Than 40% Over Past 12 Months
Climate tech is no longer a bright spot in a challenging investment landscape. Private market equity and grant
2023-10-17 09:46
TikTok details plans for Israel-Hamas war posts as social networks scramble to stop misinformation crisis
TikTok says it is launching a “command centre” and more as part of its attempt to address posts emerging from the Israel-Hamas war. As with other social platforms, TikTok is facing increased scrutiny over its treatment of abusive and misleading posts by users. Twitter/X in particular has faced criticism over approach to illegal and misleading content. It said that it had “immediately mobilised significant resources and personnel to help maintain the safety of our community and integrity of our platform” in response to the crisis. That has included the launch of what it called a “command centre that brings together key members of our 40,000-strong global team of safety professionals”, though it gave little information on what that command centre actually does. It will also update its automated detection systems to identify “graphic and violent content” so that it not only goes out to users but also so that human moderators are not subject to disturbing posts. TikTok is also adding more moderators who speak Arabic and Hebrew, it said. It also specifically addressed concerns about the spread of misleading content in the wake of the crisis. In recent days, misinformation has spread on social networks, with a number of popular but false videos spreading across the web. TikTok said it would be removing what it calls “synthetic media that has been edited, spliced, or combined in a way that could mislead our community about real-world events”. It also pointed to its work with fact checkers, who review posts to ensure they are accurate. When a post is being checked, it is removed from the For You feed that uses algorithmic recommendations, and if the truth cannot be determined then TikTok will remove it from that For You feed and apply a banner, though it will leave it live on the site. TikTok also pointed users to a range of options that are available to users to hide certain posts. That includes clicking “not interested” on any posts they want to see less of, and reporting content that may be misleading, for instance – both of which are done from the options on any given post. Read More Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat
2023-10-17 09:21
New York City unveils an 'artificial intelligence action plan'
The same New York City administration to launch a "Rat Action Plan" is back with an "Artificial Intelligence Action Plan."
2023-10-17 09:19
Apple planning to make cheaper Vision Pro headset by dropping features, report claims
Apple is planning a cheaper version of its upcoming Vision Pro headset, according to reports – though it will still be far from cheap. The company announced its Vision Pro in June, starting at $3,500, and said that it would be coming in early 2024. Immediately, many noticed that the inclusion of the “Pro” in the name suggested that a cheaper version might also be on its way. Now new reports suggest that cheaper headset will cost as much as $2,500. The company is aiming for a price of $1,500 to $2,500, according to a new report from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. That would still be considerably more expensive than other augmented reality headsets. The new Meta Quest 3, for instance, starts at $499, and the company has suggested that its lower price is one of the key ways it aims to compete with Apple. To make it cheaper, Apple is aiming to drop one of the key features from the Vision Pro, known as EyeSight. That is a screen that shows a virtual version of the wearer’s eyes on the front of the headset, to make conversations more natural and to give a sense of what the person is doing on the inside. The cheaper headset is also rumoured to include a cheaper processor – likely one from the iPhone, rather than the Mac chip that powers the Vision Pro – as well as fewer cameras and a less high-quality display. Apple has moved resources towards building the cheaper version, Mr Gurman reported in his Bloomberg newsletter. That has also meant moving staff away from devoted the augmented reality glasses that have been assumed to be the end goal of Apple’s work in headsets, but which he suggested had proven “too technically challenging” so far. Read More Google is about to ditch passwords forever You need to update your new iPhone if you want to avoid it getting hot Apple is preparing an urgent iPhone 15 update after they started overheating
2023-10-17 08:53
From Climate to US-China Rivalry, Singapore Weighs How To Adapt
(Bloomberg Markets) -- Singapore is a small country that lives at the sharp end of several big global stories: US-China
2023-10-17 08:27
Bitcoin gives up gains after BlackRock denies ETF approval report
By Tom Wilson, Elizabeth Howcroft and Hannah Lang LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Bitcoin rose suddenly on Monday, before giving up nearly all
2023-10-17 05:52
EU Fails to Set Date Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies Before COP28
European Union member states couldn’t agree on a deadline for phasing out fossil fuel subsidies when they met
2023-10-17 05:52
LinkedIn becomes latest tech company to conduct layoffs
LinkedIn, the business-focused social media platform owned by Microsoft, announced on Monday it would be reducing its workforce by approximately 668, becoming the latest tech company to conduct mass layoffs. “Talent changes are a difficult, but necessary and regular part of managing our business,” the company wrote in a blog post adding that the changes were a result of adapting organisational structures and streamlining decision-making. The company said the roles being cut span across engineering, product, talent and finance teams. “We are committed to providing our full support to all impacted employees during this transition and ensuring that they are treated with care and respect,” LinkedIn wrote. This round of layoffs comes just months after LinkedIn laid off 716 employees in May citing a change in their Global Business Organization. In the first half of this year, tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Meta and Amazon saw massive layoffs in part because the sector struggled to keep up with salary maintenance while revenue slowed down. In January, Microsoft announced it would be reducing its workforce by 10,000 following a report showing company growth was at its slowest in six years. Part of that included advertising revenue that performed worse than expected. Microsoft’s advertising revenue partially comes from LinkedIn which makes money from ads on the platform in addition to users who pay a premium membership subscription fee. Though LinkedIn saw revenue and website membership growth over the last year, it is slower than in previous years. In Q4 of 2023, the company’s revenue increased 5 per cent year-on-year – a drop from the previous quarter at 10 per cent. The company also laid off 716 workers in May, after growing massively during the pandemic. Around 40% of LinkedIn’s almost 20,000 workers were hired during the pandemic. The cuts affect approximately 3 per cent of the total workforce at LinkedIn. The company has an estimated 21,000 employees – around 40 per cent of those workers were hired during the pandemic, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. Read More Who is hit hardest by Big Tech job cuts? Cooks and janitors Microsoft spent two years trying to buy Activision Blizzard. For Xbox CEO, that was the easy part IRS says Microsoft may owe more than $29 billion in back taxes; Microsoft disagrees
2023-10-17 04:56
LinkedIn is cutting more than 650 jobs
LinkedIn is laying off 668 people across its engineering, product, talent and finance teams as part of a broader restructuring, the social media platform announced Monday.
2023-10-17 04:50