No more endless web searches for tech news! Get a concise and engaging summary of global tech highlights right here. Jump in now!
1. PayPal to launch AI-based products as new CEO aims to revive share price
PayPal unveils AI-driven products and one-click checkout under CEO Alex Chriss to revive shares. With an emphasis on leveraging AI for targeted marketing and improved checkout experiences, PayPal aims to rebound from a 22% stock decline, reflecting investor anticipation amidst the broader tech rally. (MarketScreener)
2. OpenAI’s Altman to meet chipmakers Samsung, SK Hynix execs on Friday
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman plans to meet executives from Samsung and SK Hynix in South Korea to discuss potential chip partnerships. Altman aims to secure funding for a chip venture, exploring collaborations with semiconductor giants for manufacturing AI-focused chips. (Reuters)
3. OpenAI cures GPT-4 ‘laziness’ with new updates
OpenAI updates GPT-4 Turbo to address ‘laziness’ issues in completing tasks. GPT-4 Turbo, trained on recent data, aims to enhance task completion. OpenAI plans to introduce GPT-4 Turbo with vision, enabling multimodal prompts. Additionally, new text embedding models aid retrieval-augmented generation. (The Verge)
4. Blackberry warns Mexican crypto exchanges of lurking cyberthreat
Blackberry alerts Mexican crypto exchanges and banks of a financially motivated cyberthreat using AllaKore RAT, targeting companies with over $100 million in revenues. The threat, traced to Mexico, aims at stealing sensitive user data for financial fraud. Trezor also warns of phishing attempts. (Cointelegraph)
5. IBM shares soar to more than 10-year high on rosy AI outlook
IBM shares surge over 13% to a decade high as the company reports strong AI demand, doubling generative AI business orders in Q4. Analysts raise price targets amid positive revenue outlook for 2024. (Reuters)
6. Google Cloud partners with Hugging Face to attract AI developers
Google Cloud collaborates with Hugging Face to facilitate AI development, aiming to cater to diverse business needs. With growing demand for cloud-based AI, the partnership allows access to Hugging Face’s repository of open-source AI software via Google Cloud infrastructure. (Yahoo)
7. Amazon plans two AWS data centers for $10 bln in Mississippi
Amazon’s AWS plans to invest $10 billion in two data center complexes in Mississippi, creating at least 1,000 new jobs in the state. This is part of AWS’ expansion plan amid increasing demand for cloud services and AI technologies. (CNA)
8. FTC investigating Microsoft, Amazon, and Google investments into OpenAI and Anthropic
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry into the investments made by Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and OpenAI in smaller AI companies like startup Anthropic. The commission wants to understand how these investments impact the competitive landscape of generative AI and the market share and potential for sales growth in the sector. Companies have 45 days to respond. (The Verge)
9. Meta moves to protect teens from unwanted messages on Instagram, Facebook
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is implementing new measures to protect teen users from unwanted direct messages. Teens will no longer receive messages from unknown individuals, and parental approval will be required for certain app settings. Adults over 19 cannot message teens who don’t follow them. (The Star)
10. Environmental, Indigenous groups in Ecuador threaten action over Amazon oilfield
Environmentalists and Indigenous groups in Ecuador are threatening action against President Daniel Noboa if he does not comply with a referendum to close an oil block in the Amazon. The closure could cost Ecuador $13.8 billion and result in a 12% loss of oil output. (Reuters)
