Recently, Mozilla has announced that Pocket users will be required to migrate to Firefox accounts for increased security and privacy. The migration will be optional for now but will become mandatory by August 15. Users can still sign in to Pocket with their Google login or Apple ID, but auto-migration will begin on July 11. The transition is intended to make signing in more secure. Existing Pocket users are assured that their saved items and subscriptions will not be disrupted. The change does not impact the functionality of Pocket or its browser extensions.
https://www.androidpolice.com/mozilla-pocket-transitioning-to-firefox-accounts/
Google will no longer provide news links in Canada in response to a new law that requires payment to publishers. Following Facebook owner Meta’s lead, Google is restricting news access for Canadian users. Canada’s media industry has urged stronger regulation of tech companies to protect news businesses in the online advertising market. #Google #newslinks #Canada #BillC18 #Facebook #Meta #newsaccess #techregulation #mediaindustry #onlineadvertisingmarket #SCMP
#Tech #Meituan buys out #AI start-up Light Year for US$281m as delivery services giant makes a move in ChatGPT space. The buyout comes after Meituan announced that Light Year founder Wang Huiwen had stepped down from his corporate roles at delivery firm. Beijing-based Light Year is among a slew of new Chinese AI start-ups to emerge amid the country’s ChatGPT-inspired frenzy. #Artificialintelligence #news #Meituanacquisition #China #startups
Twitter has implemented new rules that limit the number of tweets users can read per day. Elon Musk announced the changes, stating that verified accounts can read up to 6000 posts/day, unverified accounts can read up to 600 posts/day, and new unverified accounts can read up to 300 posts/day. The limits are intended to address data scraping and system manipulation. However, this decision has faced criticism as it may impact user engagement and advertising revenue. There was no prior announcement, leading many users to believe that Twitter was offline. Additionally, it is unclear what is considered “reading” a post. If users scroll past tweets, it still counts as a read. Some argue that this move could negatively affect advertisers.
Top chip design tool makers see China’s auto industry as a promising market and hope to remove export restrictions. At Semicon China, executives from chip design software companies praised China’s leading position in electric cars. The auto industry is the fastest-growing consumer of semiconductors, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. #Tech #China #AutoIndustry #ChipDesign #Semiconductors
Saudi Arabia aims to strengthen its relationship with Hong Kong, using the city as a conduit to access China’s advanced digital capabilities. The collaboration will include areas such as fintech, tech entrepreneurship, and attracting venture capitalists. Additionally, partnerships will be formed in health sciences, biotechnology, the environment, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and smart cities. #Tech #SaudiArabia #HongKong #China #Fintech #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapitalists #HealthSciences #Biotechnology #Environment #CloudComputing #ArtificialIntelligence #SmartCities
#ChinaBusiness #ElectricCars #SalesJump #TeslaRivals #EconomicRecovery
In June, China’s Tesla rivals, Nio, Xpeng, and Li Auto, experienced a significant increase in sales as demand for electric cars rebounded. This recovery is a positive sign for an industry that plays a vital role in the country’s economic recovery. According to a research note by Citic Securities, many motorists who had previously held back due to a price war have now entered the market. This news was reported by Daniel Ren in Shanghai and published on July 2, 2023. You can trust SCMP for reliable information.
Germany’s Duisburg, once known as “China City,” has ended its partnerships with China due to increasing doubts within the European Union about Beijing. This reflects Europe’s changing view of China as a result of strained China-EU relations. The Washington Post has provided this information. #Germany #Duisburg #ChinaCity #ChinaEUrelations #EuropeanUnion #Beijing #TheWashingtonPost
Tesla, the electric car maker, reported delivering a record number of vehicles in the second quarter of 2023. The company sold 466,140 vehicles, an increase of over 80% compared to the same period last year. Tesla lowered prices in the US, UK, and China to boost sales and compete with other manufacturers. Bill Russo, founder and CEO of Automobility, attributed the sales increase to Tesla’s strategic decision to be a high-volume manufacturer. Major Chinese car makers also reported a surge in sales in June, with Li-Auto, Nio, and Xpeng all experiencing significant growth. Tesla has been cutting prices globally this year to combat competition and increase affordability. However, price cuts and higher costs have affected the company’s profits. Tesla’s financial results for the second quarter will be announced on 19 July. #Tesla #electriccars #sales #China #competition #pricecuts
The maker of the popular video game Pokemon Go, Niantic, has announced that it will be cutting a quarter of its workforce as the gaming industry experiences a decline in demand following a surge in downloads during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company will also be closing its studio in Los Angeles and cancelling two games. Niantic’s CEO, John Hanke, stated that the company’s expenses had grown faster than its revenue. Pokemon Go, released in 2016, became a global phenomenon and broke the app store record for most downloads in a week. However, Hanke noted that changes in the mobile market and advertising landscape have made it increasingly difficult to launch new mobile games at scale. As a result, 230 workers across Niantic will be affected by the job cuts. Niantic will also retire its NBA All-World game and halt production of its Marvel World of Heroes title. The company’s revenue from Pokemon Go had already fallen, leading to the latest cuts. Niantic is a private company and not required to disclose its earnings reports. #PokemonGo #Niantic #JobCuts #GamingIndustry
“#TechNews #SamsungSales #ChipSlump #MemoryChipGlut #ProfitDecline #ProductionCut #Semiconductors #Bloomberg #SCMP
Samsung, the big tech giant, has experienced its biggest sales drop in over a decade due to the ongoing chip slump. Despite this disappointing result, investors remain cautiously optimistic as they believe that the memory chip glut may finally be easing after more than a year of price declines. To address this issue, Samsung announced in April that it would be reducing its production, marking its slimmest profit in 14 years. This move is seen as a significant step towards ending the supply glut.”
The US Commerce Department opposes China’s export controls on germanium and gallium, stating that they justify the need to diversify supply chains. The Chinese Commerce Ministry claims that they had informed the US and the European Union about this decision in advance. #China #US #techwar #supplychains
China has declared its ambitions in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) at a conference in Shanghai. A government official stated that China aims to develop a complete AI value chain, which includes smart chips, algorithm frameworks, and industry-specific language models. The Chinese government is expected to provide increased support to the AI industry, which currently consists of over 4,300 companies. This announcement comes as Beijing prepares for potential new tech restrictions from the US. #Tech #AI #China #USrestrictions #Conference #Shanghai
Alibaba and NetEase, two of China’s Big Tech companies, are placing their bets on AI despite potential US restrictions. The CEOs of both companies, Daniel Zhang Yong of Alibaba and William Ding Lei of NetEase, are confident that the government will support their AI endeavors. Zhejiang, their home province, has become the first in China to introduce a policy guideline specifically aimed at assisting Big Tech firms. This move reflects the increasing importance of AI in the tech industry. #Tech #Policy #Alibaba #NetEase #AI #Zhejiang #BigTech #China
The UK government and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, are at odds over end-to-end encryption. The government is planning to pass a law that would require technology companies to build technical backdoors to allow messages to be scanned for illegal content. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, however, has continued to prioritize super-secure messaging, stating that only the sender and receiver should have access to messages. Governments worldwide are closely watching the situation to see who will capitulate first. The debate centers around whether technology companies should be allowed to read people’s messages. Meanwhile, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) released a survey suggesting that the majority of the British public believes technology companies should scan private messages to protect children from abuse. In response, Meta claims to have implemented safety measures to prevent such abuses. On the other hand, security and privacy researchers argue that the UK’s Online Safety Bill would effectively break end-to-end encryption and undermine privacy guarantees. The bill puts the onus on tech firms to implement child safety measures while maintaining user privacy. WhatsApp and Signal have even threatened to remove their services from the UK if encryption security is degraded. The encryption debate has significant implications for online safety, user privacy, and surveillance worldwide. #endtoendencryption #onlinesafety #privacy
China’s government is implementing stricter controls on the export of gallium and germanium, crucial materials for computer chips, starting next month. The move comes in response to Washington’s efforts to limit China’s access to advanced microprocessors. China, as the largest producer of these metals, aims to “safeguard national security and interests.” These materials are used in a variety of sectors, including semiconductors, communications, military equipment, and solar panels. This export control is part of the ongoing trade dispute between the US and China over semiconductors, with the US also imposing restrictions on technology exports to China. Other countries, such as the Netherlands and Japan, have also announced plans to restrict chip equipment and semiconductor exports. The announcement was made just before US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to Beijing. Yellen has emphasized the importance of maintaining economic ties between the US and China. With tensions rising between the two nations, the future of trade relations and the global microchip supply chain remains uncertain. #China #US #technology #trade #semiconductors #exportcontrols
A recent study conducted by the UK Dementia Research Institute team at Cardiff University suggests that smartwatches may be able to help diagnose Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before symptoms appear. The researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze data from over 100,000 smartwatch wearers and discovered that by monitoring their speed of movement over a single week, they could predict who would develop Parkinson’s. However, further studies are needed to determine the accuracy of this screening tool. Parkinson’s disease causes damage to the brain over many years and symptoms include tremors, slow movement, and stiff muscles. The researchers hope that using smartwatches for early detection could improve recruitment for clinical trials and allow patients to access treatments earlier. The study used data from the UK Biobank, a health database of over 500,000 people. While the accuracy of the model appears promising, ultimately, whether individuals should be informed of a Parkinson’s diagnosis years in advance is a personal choice. The researchers believe that this work could lead to the availability of new therapies that slow disease progression. #ParkinsonsDisease #Smartwatches #EarlyDetection #ArtificialIntelligence
The text is about the culture clash between the Pentagon and Silicon Valley in terms of acquiring technology for the military. The Pentagon typically works with established contractors for its hardware and software needs, but there has been a shift towards smaller startup-style companies that specialize in AI software systems. These startups face challenges in navigating the Pentagon’s bureaucracy and building relationships with private contractors. However, venture capital investors are increasingly interested in the defense market, and they are helping these startups navigate the complexities of the defense acquisition process. The text also mentions the need for defense startup founders to have a certain level of paranoia and engage with decision-makers in Congress and government agencies. The culture clash between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon is a real challenge, but the geopolitical conflict and the potential for innovation in the defense industry are driving forces for collaboration. Additionally, the text mentions an AI chatbot created by a super PAC to support the presidential bid of Miami’s Republican mayor, Francis Suarez. The chatbot responds to users’ questions through pre-made videos of an AI-generated avatar of the candidate. Finally, the text includes a mention of an op-ed in The New York Times that critiques the idea of a “Manhattan Project for AI Safety” and proposes government funding for culture, education, and institutions instead. #Pentagon #SiliconValley #technology #AI #startups #defenseindustry #VCinvestment #Congress #chatbot #presidentialbid #AIavatar #opinionpiece #governmentfunding #cultureandeducation
The federal judge who ruled against the White House’s social media interventions has raised questions about the line between protected speech and misinformation. Judge Terry Doughty’s ruling limits government officials’ power to lobby social media companies to take down content. The ruling found that the Biden administration’s efforts to police online discussion of the coronavirus were likely unconstitutional. This ruling highlights the ongoing debate about how national laws can effectively police speech on global communication networks. The US stands out as an outlier in its commitment to the free flow of information, while other countries, like France and China, have taken measures to restrict social media access. The emergence of new technology, such as blockchains and decentralized social media networks, may eventually render court judgments about online information obsolete. In other news, a summit in Berlin is discussing how artificial intelligence can help researchers build global models to simulate climate change and its impact at a local level. The goal is to create high-resolution simulations that can measure the effects of global warming with great detail. Companies like NVIDIA are offering their computing power to help with these simulations. Having widely accessible climate models could set new standards for projections and help secure funding for climate adaptation plans.
UiPath, a leading enterprise automation software company, has announced its expanded AI-powered automation features, including Generative AI and Specialized AI offerings. These capabilities allow organizations to discover, automate, and operate automations at scale. McKinsey’s report on the economic impact of Generative AI states that automation potential has accelerated, and Generative AI has increased the percentage of hours that can be automated. UiPath is adding more AI offerings with Generative AI, including the general availability of OpenAI and Azure OpenAI connectors with support for GPT-4. Customers are already using the OpenAI connector to extend automation into business operations and extract actionable insights from data. UiPath also offers specialized AI solutions, with over 70 models that enable customers to understand screens, mine tasks, process documents, and utilize proprietary data sets within workflows. These specialized AI solutions can be trained with customer data and optimized for specific needs to deliver fast, accurate, and tailored solutions. UiPath is continuously improving its specialized AI solutions, such as Document Understanding and Communications Mining, by incorporating GPT-based technologies. The company believes that the complete value of AI can be realized when combined with enterprise automation to provide context and take appropriate action. In addition to these features, UiPath has introduced Clipboard AI for finance teams, which uses AI Computer Vision and Generative AI to transfer and understand data across documents, spreadsheets, and apps. This offering aims to help finance teams efficiently manage invoicing across multiple platforms. UiPath announced these features at TOGETHER London, Europe’s largest automation and AI conference. The event showcases how AI-powered automation delivers cost transformation, profitable growth, and improved customer and employee experiences. Hashtags: #UiPath #AI #Automation #GenerativeAI #SpecializedAI #OpenAI #Azure #GPT-4 #RoboticProcessAutomation
https://www.uipath.com/newsroom/uipath-reveals-expanded-generative-ai-and-specialized-ai-offerings
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