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California becomes first state to regulate AI companion chatbots; plus, Salesforce announces Agentforce 360 as enterprise AI competition heats up

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a landmark bill on Monday that regulates AI companion chatbots, making it the first state in the nation to require AI chatbot operators to implement safety protocols for AI companions The law is designed to protect children and vulnerable users from some of the harms associated with AI companion chatbot use. It holds companies — from the big labs like Meta and OpenAI to more focused companion startups like Character AI and Replika — legally accountable if their chatbots fail to meet the law’s standards. Also, Salesforce announced Monday the latest version of its AI agent platform as the company looks to lure enterprises to its AI software in an increasingly crowded market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-13
08:55

Google Chrome silences those pesky notifications; also, Trump fires back at China’s rare earth mineral restrictions by threatening 100% tariffs

On Friday, the technology giant announced a new feature that will automatically disable browser notifications for the websites you haven’t interacted with recently, disrupting their ability to pop up alerts and updates that you may no longer be interested in. the President declared Friday that he will impose a 100% tariff on all imports from China, while also imposing export controls on “any and all critical software” from the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-13
04:38

Investors are betting $21 billion that the energy transition isn’t going away; also, UK slapped Google Search with special market status, making way for stricter regulations

Political shifts might have set back the energy transition, but large investors are betting that renewables are at the future of energy. In other news, the CMA has designated Google as having "strategic market status" in the search and search advertising markets, which means the company has such "a substantial and entrenched" position that it requires special regulations to ensure fair competition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-10
08:04

While OpenAI races to build AI data centers, Nadella reminds us that Microsoft already has them; also, Andreessen Horowitz denies report of India office, calls it ‘fake news’

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella offered a glimpse of the "first of many" massive Nvidia AI systems it is rolling out, starting now. a16z’s Anish Acharya calls India office reports “entirely fake news!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-10
05:11

Tesla’s FSD software under investigation; Apple prepares to comply with Texas law; and SoundCloud gets more social

-The U.S.' top auto safety agency said it had identified more than 50 reports of FSD running red lights, crossing yellow lines, or making illegal turns. -Apple speaks out about how the Texas age assurance law was written, saying it affects the privacy of users. -SoundCloud is evolving into a more social platform with new features like playlists based on the likes of friends or favorite artists you follow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-09
08:18

Here’s the tech powering ICE’s deportation crackdown

From phone spyware and facial recognition to phone unlocking technology and databases and more, this tech powers Trump's deportation machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-09
13:47

SoftBank bulks up its robotics portfolio with ABB Group’s robotics unit; also, Square launches AI voice ordering and an integrated Bitcoin solution for merchants

Japanese investing conglomerate SoftBank Group is buying a robotics company as the financial behemoth says physical AI is its next frontier.   SoftBank announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Zurich, Switzerland-based ABB Group’s robotics business unit for more than five  billion dollars. The deal is subject to regulatory approval; SoftBank predicts the deal will close in mid-to-late twenty twenty six. Sami Atiya, the head of the division, will exit the company once the acquisition is complete. Square has launched new features for merchants, including AI-powered voice ordering for restaurants, enhancements to its AI assistants, such as providing local insights and an integrated Bitcoin solution to accept and hold the digital currency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-08
06:50

ICE bought vehicles equipped with fake cell towers to spy on phones; also, North Korean hackers stole over $2 billion in crypto

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement paid eight hundred twenty five thousand dollars earlier this year to a company that manufactures vehicles equipped with various technologies for law enforcement, including fake cellphone towers known as “cell-site simulators,” which can be used to spy on nearby phones.   Also, hackers working for the North Korean government have stolen more than $2 billion in crypto so far this year. That’s according to blockchain analysis firm Elliptic.  On Tuesday, Elliptic published a blog post with this new estimate, which the company says is the “largest annual total on record, with three months still to go,” and is based on more than thirty hacks this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-08
09:04

Deloitte goes all in on AI — despite having to issue a hefty refund for use of AI; plus Taylor Swift fans accuse singer of using AI in her Google scavenger hunt videos

Deloitte is rolling out Claude to its nearly 500,000 employees after issuing a refund for a report that contained AI hallucinations. Plus, Taylor Swift fans love a good puzzle, but some were rubbed the wrong way by a promotional scavenger hunt which appeared to use AI-generated videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-07
06:40

AMD to supply 6GW of compute capacity to OpenAI in chip deal worth tens of billions

AMD has signed a multi-year chip supply deal with OpenAI that could generate tens of billions in revenue for the chipmaker, helping accelerate its momentum in the AI industry.  AMD has agreed to supply 6 gigawatts of compute capacity to OpenAI, which is enough to power up to 4 ½  million homes, across multiple generations of its Instinct GPUs, starting with the Instinct MI450 GPU. OpenAI will receive the first gigawatt of capacity in the second half of next year, when the new chip is scheduled for deployment.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-07
06:37

Waffles eat Bluesky, plus Suspect arrested after threats against TikTok’s Culver City headquarters

A waffle-centric controversy underlines ongoing tensions between Bluesky and some of its most vocal users. Also, police say they have arrested a suspect allegedly connected to multiple online threats that led TikTok to evacuate its headquarters near Los Angeles on Friday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-06
07:12

Tesla’s insurance arm accused of ‘egregious delays’ and ‘systemic failures’ by CA regulator; also, Bezos predicts that millions will live in space in ‘couple of decades’

California's Department of Insurance has been warning Tesla to fix its claims process since 2022, but consumer complaints have skyrocketed anyways. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made a rare public appearance at Italian Tech Week in Turin on Friday and used the opportunity to predict that millions of people will be living in space “in the next couple of decades,” the Financial Times reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-06
06:33

Apple removes ICEBlock and similar tracking apps from the App Store; also, Hacking group claims theft of 1 billion records from Salesforce customer databases

A notorious predominantly English-speaking hacking group has launched a website to extort its victims, threatening to release about a billion records stolen from companies who store their customers’ data in cloud databases hosted by Salesforce. Apple has removed ICEBlock and other apps from its App Store that allow users to anonymously report sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, following pressure from the Trump administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-03
06:10

Hackers are sending extortion emails to executives after claiming Oracle apps’ data breach; also, OpenAI is the world’s most valuable private company

Google says hackers associated with a prolific ransomware group are sending extortion emails to executives at “numerous” large organizations after claiming to have stolen their sensitive information from a suite of business software products developed by Oracle. Also, OpenAI has sold 6.6 billion dollars in shares held by current and former employees, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The sale pushed OpenAI’s total valuation to 500 billion dollars, the highest ever achieved by a privately held company. Purchasers included SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group, Thrive Capital, MGX, and T. Rowe Price, the report said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-03
05:38

Hollywood is not taking kindly to the AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood, plus, Apple is shelving Vision Pro overhaul to focus on AI glasses

London-based actress Tilly Norwood has about 40 thousand Instagram followers. One thing to know though is she’s not real. She is an AI-generated character created by Xicoia, the AI division of the production company Particle6. Also, Apple is sidelining plans to overhaul its Vision Pro VR glasses to focus on developing AI smart glasses that can compete with products from Meta, according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-02
04:24

OpenAI staff grapples with the company’s social media push

Current and former OpenAI researchers seem torn over how the company's Sora app fits in with its broader mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-02
07:08

Epic Games says Apple’s new install process cuts user drop-offs by 60%, also, Wikipedia data more accessible to AI and U.S. government takes stake in Canadian lithium miner

-Fortnite maker Epic Games said that Apple’s new installation workflow, implemented in iOS 18.6, has had a positive impact on its user growth, with a 60 percent decrease in drop-offs. On Wednesday, Wikimedia Deutschland announced a new database that will make Wikipedia’s wealth of knowledge more accessible to AI models. The U.S. Department of Energy has taken equity stakes in Canadian company Lithium Americas and its Nevada mining joint venture with General Motors as part of a renegotiation of a federal loan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-01
08:43

Ted Cruz blocks bill that would extend privacy protections to all Americans, plus Fubo shareholders approve Hulu Live TV deal

Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, has blocked an effort to pass legislation that would have extended data privacy protections for federal lawmakers and public officials to everyone in the United States. On Monday night, Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, asked the U.S. Senate for unanimous consent from fellow senators to pass his legislation, Protecting Americans from Doxing and Political Violence Act. Fubo, the popular live sports TV streaming service, announced on Tuesday that its shareholders have approved its transaction with Disney, combining Fubo with Hulu Live TV.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10-01
04:56

DoorDash unveils its autonomous robot; and Adobe’s video editing app Premiere arrives on iPhones

On Tuesday, DoorDash unveiled Dot, a small robot it built in-house that can autonomously drive on roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks to deliver food and small packages at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. Dot is designed to look friendly and even cartoonish — painted bright red, with big LED eyes and a mouth that swings open to reveal where it holds your food — though some would argue it’s slightly creepy. Also, Adobe’s popular video editing app Premiere is available on iPhone starting today, following the company’s announcement of its plans to release the app on mobile earlier this month. The Android version of the app is under development, Adobe says. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

09-30
08:36

California Governor Newsom signs landmark AI safety bill; also, Explosion, vehicle fire rock Faraday Future’s LA headquarters

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 53, a first-in-the-nation bill that sets new transparency requirements on large AI companies. The bill, which passed the state legislature two weeks ago, requires large AI labs, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google DeepMind,  to be transparent about safety protocols. It also ensures whistleblower protections for employees at those companies.   Also, a Faraday Future electric SUV caught fire at the startup’s Los Angeles headquarters early Sunday morning, leading to an explosion that blew out part of a wall.  The fire was extinguished in 40 minutes, and no injuries were reported. Damage to the building, which is a smaller two-story structure next to the larger portion of the headquarters, was severe enough that the city’s Department of Building and Safety has “red tagged” it, meaning it may need structural work before it can be occupied again.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

09-30
07:02

Denial Brown

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08-16 Reply

sheela ki jowani

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11-09 Reply

Emilia Gray

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04-19 Reply

Carol Lawrence

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02-16 Reply

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