WASHINGTON, Aug 12, 2023 (AFP) – Elon Musk said Friday that his much-hyped cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg would take place in Italy, as authorities there confirmed talks about hosting a “great charity event.” While any showdown between the two tech titans has yet to be officially confirmed, Musk said on his X social media platform — formerly known as Twitter — that arrangements were advancing. “I spoke to the PM of Italy and Minister […]
Tag: technology
Samsung says second-quarter operating profit fell 95%
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported a more than 95 percent plunge in operating profits in the second quarter owing to weak demand for memory chips. The firm is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung Group, by far the largest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate business in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Operating profit from the April to June period was 668.5 billion won ($525.3 million), down from 14.1 trillion […]
OpenAI’s Sam Altman takes nuclear startup public
NEW YORK, July 12, 2023 (AFP) – A startup led by OpenAI boss Sam Altman that is working on developing small nuclear fission reactors is going public with a valuation of $850 million. One of Silicon Valley’s leading figures since OpenAI released ChatGPT, Altman became an early backer of nuclear startup Oklo in 2015, and is also its chairman. Altman has explained that his investment in nuclear power is closely linked to the artificial intelligence […]
Israel enlists drones, AI and big data to farm for the future
By Jonah Mandel Agence France-Presse EYAL, Israel, June 28, 2023 (AFP) – As climate change and global population growth pose ever greater challenges for agriculture, Israeli technology offers a wealth of inventions and advanced tools to help farmers adapt. At an avocado orchard in a kibbutz in central Israel, a tractor slowly pulls a device through the trees. Flag-sized attachments that evoke canoe paddles on the mobile platform gently stroke the plants to draw the […]
Musk and Zuckerberg call out each other for cage fight
PARIS, June 22, 2023 (AFP) – Tech titans Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are in a fierce business rivalry that has spilt over into a playground spat, with the two men offering to fight each other in a cage. Months after Musk took over Twitter, Zuckerberg’s Meta hinted it was planning to launch its own text-based social media platform — essentially a direct rival. Musk has trolled Zuckerberg ever since with messages on Twitter, telling […]
‘Don’t steal our voices’: dubbing artists confront AI threat
By Claudia Tenorio and Alexander Martinez Agence France-Presse MEXICO CITY, June 21, 2023 (AFP) — Voice actors around the globe are mobilizing against the unregulated use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate and clone human voices that they fear poses a threat to their livelihoods. “We’re fighting a very big monster,” said Mario Filio, a Mexican artist who has done voiceovers for Hollywood star Will Smith, the Obi-Wan Kenobi character in Star Wars and the […]
UN chief proposes code to tackle ‘grave’ misinformation
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Alarm over advancements in artificial intelligence must not obscure the “grave” harm already being done by digital platforms rife with misinformation, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday, as he proposed an international code of conduct. Rapidly developing AI tools, including chatbots, image generators and voice cloning technology, have sparked global concern over their striking ability to disseminate falsehoods. Guterres said he endorsed the idea for the creation of an […]
Taiwanese chip giant TSMC says industry could have ‘stabilizing’ effect
HSINCHU, Taiwan, June 6, 2023 (AFP) — Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC said Tuesday its production of ever-smaller microchips will remain on the island, hopeful that the critical industry will have a “stabilizing effect on global geopolitical conflicts”. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company — whose clients include Apple and Intel — controls more than half the world’s output of silicon wafers, used in everything from smartphones to cars and missiles. Recent years have seen it navigating geopolitical […]
Here Comes the AI: Fans rejoice in ‘new’ Beatles music
By Issam AHMED Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, June 5, 2023 (AFP) — When the Beatles broke up more than 50 years ago, devastated fans were left yearning for more. Now, artificial intelligence is offering just that. From “re-uniting” the Fab Four on songs from their solo careers, to re-imagining surviving superstar Paul McCartney’s later works with his voice restored to its youthful peak, the new creations show off how far this technology has come — and […]
Musk’s Neuralink says cleared for human test of brain implants
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Elon Musk’s start-up Neuralink on Thursday said it has gotten approval from US regulators to test its brain implants in people. Neuralink said clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its first in-human clinical study is “an important first step” for its technology, which is intended to let brains interface directly with computers. “We are excited to share that we have received the FDA’s approval to […]
Audio book narrators say AI is already taking away business
NEW YORK, May 14, 2023 (AFP) – As people brace for the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence on jobs and everyday living, those in the world of audio books say their field is already being transformed. AI has the ability to create human-sounding recordings — at assembly-line speed — while bypassing at least part of the services of the human professionals who for years have made a living with their voices. Many of them are […]
Elon Musk says new Twitter chief has been hired
SAN FRANCISCO, May 11, 2023 (AFP) – Elon Musk on Thursday said that he has hired someone to replace him as boss of Twitter and its newly named X Corporation parent. “Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter,” Musk said in a tweet, adding that she would start in the job in about six weeks. Twitter users in December voted to oust owner Musk as chief executive in an unscientific […]





