Briefing Desk
Latest Briefings
Concise reporting on the developments shaping internet governance and infrastructure. Browse each area for recent news, context and watchpoints.
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Market / Trends / Global Trends / Global Cloud Services Trends
In this section: 39 briefingsOpenAI Data Partnerships hope to bridge gaps in AI training
OpenAI’s Data Partnerships initiative aims to diversify AI training data sets, addressing biases, and facing criticism over unauthorized use of creative works.
Microsoft adds Copilot AI to Windows 10, potentially overhauling how we use computers
Microsoft could bring Copilot AI to Windows 10 in an upcoming update.
ChatGPT went down due to DDoS attack, not its popularity
OpenAI stated that the outage of ChatGPT was due to a DDoS attack. It did not result in any leakage of user information.
Google’s Epic $147 million offer, and how it could change gaming apps
Google had offered $147 million to Epic Games to launch Fortnite on the Google Play Store.
5 top tech stories this week: November 10, 2023
Elon Musk’s new project xAI is launched and Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty, among other stories.
PlaiDay allows selfies and personalisation in new text-to-video AI model
Plai Labs, the brainchild of MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe, has launched PlaiDay, an AI text-to-video product that can generate a three-second video for free in just a few minutes. The tool also allows users to add photos for personalisation. Plai Labs has said that the video duration will be ext…
As Bitcoin wavers, smaller tokens like XRP, SOL, INJ soar
Bitcoin, recognised as the first and most famous cryptocurrency, has long been the bellwether of the digital currency market. This position may be sliding however as smaller tokens become increasingly noteworthy. Among these underdogs, Ripple’s XRP, Solana (SOL) and Injective (INJ) have done excepti…
Virtual headsets in space aid astronauts’ mental health
Astronaut Andreas Mogensen will be the first to use the immersive videos of Earth environments to offset the mental health repercussions of long periods of isolation in space.
Elon Musk to integrate xAI with X in preparation for ‘AI age’
Musk proposed unprecedented innovation of combining xAI with social media X.
Car of the future? Huawei enters smart car industry with dazzling AITO M9
The Huawei AITO M9 took 370 pre-orders on the day it was released, comes in both pure electric and petrol-electric hybrid models, and will release in December, priced at $70,000-100,000.
Can FTX be saved? Silicon Valley’s Proof Group thinks so
Proof Group becomes third to enter bidding for FTX’s revival, FTX must decide to sell the exchange or seek strategic partners.
Monster Hunter Now Hits 10 Million Downloads: A New AR Giant Rises on the Gaming Horizon
’Monster Hunter Now‘hits 10M downloads, £14M revenue in its first month, challenging “Pokémon GO” with Niantic’s AR tech and global appeal.
XAI, artificial intelligence led by Musk, launches ‘Grok’
Grok is currently in the early beta phase with just two months of training. It is available to a limited number of users for testing before a broader release. Musk revealed that Grok would eventually become a feature of X Premium+, which comes at a monthly cost of $16.
Pokemon GO will bring together AI and AR to create hyper-realistic Pokemon interactions
Pokémon GO Gaining More Realistic AR & 3D Mapping from Niantic Real World Platform
5 top tech stories this week: November 3, 2023
Three tech lawyers talk about Sam Bankman-Fried’ s trial and a revolutionary product AI Pin, among other stories. Here’s our rundown of the top stories this week. about each story on the links below: Is Sam Bankman-Fried guilty? 3 tech lawyers have their sayhttps://blog.btw.media/adobe-int…
SpaceX’s Starlink finally breaks even, Musk says
The exact timing of a Starlink IPO remains uncertain, with Musk suggesting it might not occur until 2025 or later.
Apple unveils M3 chip series with record-breaking 3nm technology
This week, Apple introduced its latest M3 chip series during a 30-minute online event titled “Scary Fast.” The chip series revealed in the presentation includes M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, along with 14-inch and 16-inch laptops and a 24-inch iMac. Key features of the M3 chip The M3 chip is a game-change…
Apple’s prime time Keynote: A strategic shift in the spotlight
Apple is reimagining its traditional product announcements by scheduling its upcoming keynote event, firmly establishing itself in the realm of prime time television. This strategic shift underscores Apple’s commitment to expanding its reach and cultural influence, targeting a broader audience throu…
LinkedIn passes 1billion members, showcases AI tool
The platform’s newest addition is a built-in job coaching tool that uses AI technology and the vast pool of data within LinkedIn to help job seekers explore and apply for positions that align with their profiles and career goals.
Apsara 2023: Alibaba reveals ambition for ‘most open cloud in AI era’
Alibaba Group has announced its intent to establish “the most open cloud in the AI era,” focusing on AI’s role in transforming various industries and making AI more accessible and cost-effective.
Hiroshima AI Process: AI ‘code of conduct’ to be ready by end of 2023
A voluntary code of conduct concerning artificial intelligence (AI) is to be agreed between the Group of Seven industrial countries (G7).
Is Sam Bankman-Fried guilty? 3 tech lawyers have their say
Sam Bankman-Fried testified in his own defence, but was that a good move? We asked three tech law experts to give their views, and predict the outcome of the trial.
5 top tech stories this week: October 28, 2023
From Tinder’s new feature “Matchmaker” to Reddit’s new blockchain-based Community Points, here’s our rundown of the top stories this week. about each story on the links below: Tinder dating app adds cupid feature but at a hefty costhttps://blog.btw.media/adobe-introduces-cr-logo-for-ai-con…
X introduces video and audio calling, Musk labels it a test product
X adds video and audio call functions.
Apple Increases Prices for TV+, Arcade, and News+ Subscriptions
Apple announced a price hike for its TV+, Arcade, and News+ subscription services on Wednesday.
Wearable & powered by GPT-4, the AI Pin will soon drop
Despite being so close to the skin of its users, Humane emphasizes a “privacy-first” approach with the AI Pin. The device features input sensors, a camera, and a microphone but eliminates the need for a wake word, ensuring that it doesn’t engage in constant listening.
Google launches image verification, anti-misinformation tools
Google Search just launched a set of tools to help users verify images and sources they encounter on the internet. These tools are designed to improving the overall user experience, especially in helping users distinguish between fact and fiction.
Apple supplier Foxconn faces tax audit, land use investigation
Mainland tax, natural resource authorities inspect Foxconn companies in several provinces
Reddit to discontinue blockchain-based community points reward program
Reddit has announced its plan to terminate the blockchain-based Community Points reward service on November 8th.
Tinder dating app adds cupid feature but at a hefty cost
Tinder, the world-famous dating app, is just added a feature that lets your friends and family get in on the swiping action. It’s like having your very own personal Cupid at your disposal. Known as “Matchmaker,” Tinder intends for the feature to add a new layer of fun and social engagement to its lo…
Nightshade AI tool ‘poisons’ digital artwork to help artists fight Intellectual Property infringements
Artists that don’t want their work to be used to train AI models now have a new weapon in their arsenal – an ‘image-poisoning’ tool called Nightshade. According to a report from MIT’s Technology Review, Nightshade changes the pixels of a digital image in order to trick an AI system into misinterpret…
Netflix surges on stellar earnings causing Wall Street buzz
Netflix’s stock took a triumphant leap on the back of blockbuster earnings, posting their most significant one-day gain since January 2021. Wall Street was electrified by the streaming giant’s latest quarterly earnings report as the stock closed at $401.77. This represents a surge of 16% as Netflix …
New York Attorney General slaps crypto titans Gemini, Genesis, and DCG with fraud suit
New York’s Attorney-General, Letitia James, has launched a $1.1 billion lawsuit against crypto powerhouses Gemini Trust, Genesis Global Capital, and Digital Currency Group (DCG). In an already tense atmosphere surrounding Sam Bankman-Fried, the crypto world is facing a legal tempest as the three com…
5 top tech stories this week: October 21, 2023
From Adobe’s hopes to identify AI content to Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision Blizzard takeover, here’s our rundown of the top stories this week. about each story on the links below: Adobe Introduces “cr” LOGO for AI content recognitionhttps://blog.btw.media/adobe-introduces-cr-logo-for-…
OpenAI’s ChatGPT gets Bing web search and DALL-E 3 image generation
Image credit: Freepik OpenAI’s ChatGPT has just gotten web search integration powered by Bing and image generation functionality courtesy of DALL-E 3. ChatGPT, powered by OpenAI‘s latest GPT-4 model, now gives users the ability to search the web for real-time information and generate images on the f…
IGF 2023: AI plus big data could take over the world – and also save it
The biggest story of the 2023 edition of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF 2023)? The power of AI, and how to control it, harness it and ensure the next generation isn’t left with a huge digital mess to clean up.
YouTube unveils new AI-powered advertising package: Spotlight Moments
YouTube recently announced the launch of “Spotlight Moments,” an advertising package that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This innovative product harnesses Google AI capabilities to pinpoint video content related to specific cultural moments, subsequently featuring these videos fo…
Drugs by drone: Amazon starts airborne prescription deliveries
On October 18, Amazon announced that its “Amazon Pharmacy” business opened a drone drug delivery service in College Station, Texas. Customers in their local area can get prescription drugs delivered to their homes by Amazon’s unmanned delivery service within an hour of placing an order. H…
Qualcomm and Google team up to create wearable chips
Image credit: Qualcomm Qualcomm and Google have partnered to drive the RISC-V revolution in the wearable tech world. At a recent Made by Google event, the two tech giants revealed their partnership, shortly after Google introduced the Pixel Watch 2, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 Wearable…
Coverage
Market / Trends / Asia-Pacific Trends / Asia-Pacific Cloud Services Trends
In this section: 6 briefingsSouth Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan’s Fumio Kishida set for tech cooperation roundtable
The leaders of Japan and South Korea are going to participate in a roundtable.
NVIDIA sidesteps U.S. export rules, makes new chip series for booming China market
NVIDIA has announced a new chip series for China, getting around U.S. export rules.
Flipkart’s billionaire founder hopes to become world’s AI service provider
Bansal aims to harness the vast population of English-speaking youth in India to create a pool of experts in new AI services, in response to the global demand for AI professionals.
China AI startup 01.AI valued at $1B in eight months
A new LLM from China called Yi has attracted massive interest and investment after outperforming established models like Meta’s Llama 2.
Microsoft invests A$5B to fuel Australian cybersecurity, tech
Microsoft is making an unprecedented A$5 billion (2.6 GBP) investment in Australia, aimed at expanding the nation’s digital infrastructure, boosting cybersecurity, and enhancing AI adoption. Microsoft’s investment is intended to support Australia’s economic competitiveness and ensure its resilience …
Metro rail ticket booking in India now possible via Google Maps
Google is making commutes smoother in India by enabling metro ticket bookings via its Maps app. The tech giant has joined forces with India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to introduce this booking feature across major metro cities. The collaboration also includes other initiatives, inclu…
Coverage
Market / Trends / Europe and Middle East Trends / Europe and Middle East Cloud Services Trends
In this section: 1 briefingUK aims for fully self-driving cars by 2026
The UK aims to have fully self-driving cars on the roads by 2026, as long as manufacturers comply with new laws.
Coverage
Market / Trends / Global Trends / Global Institutional Trends
In this section: 1 briefingKai-Fu Lee’s 01.AI hits $1 billion valuation, leads open-source AI models
While they continue to open source some models, 01.AI’s ultimate objective is to establish a state-of-the-art proprietary model that can serve as a foundation for a diverse range of commercial products.
Coverage
Market / Trends / Global Trends / Global National Telecom Trends
In this section: 1 briefingDisney to acquire Comcast’s 33% stake in Hulu for $8.61 billion
Disney to Buy Out Hulu Stake Owned by Comcast, Will Pay $8.6B or More
Coverage
Market / Trends / North America Trends / North America Cloud Services Trends
In this section: 2 briefingsGoogle CEO Sundar Pichai to testify Monday in US antitrust trial
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is going to testify in a major U.S. antitrust trial which aims at Google’s dominant position in search and related advertising sector on Monday, according to Reuters. Gov: Google illegally paid an estimated $10 billion annually to smartphone makers As a giant with a 90% mark…
Netflix raises prices as it adds 9 million subscribers, shares soar 13 percent.
Netflix has announced another round of price increases. The streaming giant revealed on Wednesday that some subscribers in the US, UK and France will face a new round of price increases, with the new changes affecting anyone with a “basic” or “premium” subscription. Netflix plans price hi…