Tag: Amazon.com

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seeks to raise billions for network of AI chip factories
Technology

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seeks to raise billions for network of AI chip factories

[ad_1] OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman, who has been working to raise billions of dollars from global investors for a chip venture, aims to use the funds to set up a network of factories to manufacture semiconductors, according to several people with knowledge of the plans.Altman has had conversations with several large potential investors in the hopes of raising the vast sums needed for chip fabrication plants, or fabs, as they're known colloquially, said the people, who requested anonymity because the conversations are private.  Firms that have held discussions with Altman include Abu Dhabi-based G42, people told Bloomberg last month, and SoftBank Group Corp., some of the people said. The project would involve working with top chip manufacturers, and the network of fabs woul...
CES 2024: Amazon Video-Streaming Debuts, Will Rival Apple AirPlay; How iPhone, Android users benefit
Technology

CES 2024: Amazon Video-Streaming Debuts, Will Rival Apple AirPlay; How iPhone, Android users benefit

[ad_1] Amazon.com Inc. introduced a new feature that mimics Apple Inc.'s AirPlay while working across different platforms, setting the stage for iPhone and Android users to wirelessly stream video to its TV hardware. The feature, called Matter Casting, is part of a push by Amazon to create interoperable services — an alternative to the propriety technology developed by Apple and Google. It will make it easier for iOS and Android phones to send video to Amazon devices, such as its Fire TV boxes and sticks, as well as the Echo Show 15 smart display.For years, Apple's AirPlay and Google's Cast have offered this capability, letting users enjoy video from their phones on a large TV screen. But those systems don't always work smoothly across platforms. Amazon also was at a disadvantage becaus...
Amazon Once Inspired Fear in the Health-Care Industry. No Longer
Technology

Amazon Once Inspired Fear in the Health-Care Industry. No Longer

[ad_1] Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime membership program began with speedy shipping, then video streaming. The latest perk—discounted access to a virtual doctor—is being pitched as another win for customers: medical care delivered as seamlessly as tube socks and television shows.But it's a capitulation of sorts. Having spent almost a decade and billions of dollars trying to re-invent American health care, Amazon has settled on a decidedly traditional approach. The company runs doctors' offices and pharmacies itself, offering Prime subscribers a $100 discount on memberships at One Medical, the concierge primary-care chain it acquired in February. In the highly regulated business of treating colds and dispensing pills, the strategy is a familiar one, albeit with some technology thrown in, and it...
Biden to require AI tools pass test before US officials buy them
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Biden to require AI tools pass test before US officials buy them

[ad_1] President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Monday requiring AI tools complete security testing before federal agencies use them, according to a draft copy of the order obtained by Bloomberg Government, his most significant step to date to rein in the emerging technology.The draft copy, dated Oct. 23, leverages the government's position as a top customer for tech companies such as Microsoft Corp and Amazon.com Inc. to drive changes in their AI products. It directs the Department of Labor to write guidelines for federal contractors on preventing discrimination in hiring systems driven by AI, a concern for civil rights groups. US lawmakers have shown broad interest in placing limits on AI, but an overriding strategy has yet to emerge. Biden's directive sets initial guardrai...
Spotify offers 15 hours of audiobooks to UK, Australia premium subscribers
Technology

Spotify offers 15 hours of audiobooks to UK, Australia premium subscribers

[ad_1] Spotify Technology SA is giving its premium subscribers in the UK and Australia 15 free hours of audiobook listening per month in a broader push into that market.The offering, which Bloomberg News previously reported was in the works, starts on Tuesday. US-based subscribers will receive the free hours this winter. More than 150,000 titles will be included from five big book publishers. Users can purchase 10 additional hours for $11 a month in the US, or £10 in the UK. For members on family plans, only the main account holder will receive the included hours. Free users will only be able to purchase individual audiobook titles a la carte. Spotify's main audiobooks competitor, Amazon.com Inc.'s Audible, offers one bestseller or new release per month, in addition to a selection of ad...
Amazon gets boost in EU court fight over new digital rules
Technology

Amazon gets boost in EU court fight over new digital rules

[ad_1] Amazon.com Inc. won the first round of a court spat with European Union regulators who included it on a list of Big Tech firms facing extra scrutiny under the bloc's tough new content-moderation rules.In an order late on Wednesday, the president of the EU's General Court partly suspended the European Commission's April decision forcing Amazon to publish a detailed database of adverts it receives, including their content, the brand name or subject and who paid for them. The move follows Amazon's July challenge of the EU's decision to label it as a “very large online platform” under the Digital Services Act alongside rival marketplaces such as Google Shopping and Alibaba. The Luxembourg-based court soon after issued a provisional order to completely suspend the EU's decision. Wedne...
What you won’t learn about Amazon from FTC’s new antitrust suit
Technology

What you won’t learn about Amazon from FTC’s new antitrust suit

[ad_1] The Federal Trade Commission's blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc. alleges a far-reaching monopolistic scheme to stifle competition across online marketplaces and harm US consumers and businesses.But anyone hoping to immediately drill down into data about Amazon's operations — details about its Prime subscriber base, profits, and internal operations, for example — will be disappointed. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Seattle is rife with black redaction bars. That can be typical in the first public version of a case that pulls evidence from business records marked as confidential when investigators receive them. More information could see daylight as the litigation unfolds, however. The commission has asked a judge to unseal redacted sections withi...
Google and Microsoft Are Supercharging AI Deepfake Porn
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Google and Microsoft Are Supercharging AI Deepfake Porn

[ad_1] When fans of Kaitlyn Siragusa, a popular 29-year-old internet personality known as Amouranth, want to watch her play video games, they will subscribe for $5 a month to her channel on Amazon.com Inc.'s Twitch. When they want to watch her perform adult content, they'll subscribe for $15 a month for access to her explicit OnlyFans page.And when they want to watch her do things she is not doing and has never done, for free, they'll search on Google for so-called “deepfakes” — videos made with artificial intelligence that fabricate a lifelike simulation of a sexual act featuring the face of a real woman. Siragusa, a frequent target of deepfake creators, said each time her staff finds something new on the search engine, they file a complaint with Google and fill out a form requesting t...
Amazon, Apple earnings to provide look at consumer habits
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Amazon, Apple earnings to provide look at consumer habits

[ad_1] Consumer habits will come to the fore again in next week's earnings deluge, when Amazon.com Inc., Shopify Inc. and PayPal Holdings Inc. are expected to talk about online spending trends and Apple Inc. may comment on the outlook for iPhone sales.It follows a packed week that showed the US economy and consumer spending growing at a faster clip than expected, while corporate earnings delivered a few surprises of their own. Intel Corp. surged post-market after the chipmaker signaled its long-awaited comeback may be just around the corner; McDonald's Corp. and Mastercard Inc. also topped estimates. Thus far, US companies have registered the most earnings beats in almost two years, according to data tracked by Bloomberg Intelligence, and companies selling non-essential products and ser...
Exclusive-Amazon has drawn thousands to try its AI service competing with Microsoft, Google
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Exclusive-Amazon has drawn thousands to try its AI service competing with Microsoft, Google

[ad_1] Amazon.com's cloud division has drawn thousands of customers to try out its service vying with Microsoft and Google in a key area of artificial intelligence, an executive told Reuters.The company also announced new AI tools on Wednesday, including a program for building more conversational customer-service agents, technology access from the startup Cohere and a healthcare system for generating clinical notes after a patient visit. Organizations including Sony, Ryanair and Sun Life have tried out Amazon Bedrock, a service the company announced in April that lets businesses create applications with a range of AI models, Vice President Swami Sivasubramanian said. Such generative technology can produce new text, images and other content on command. "Our mission is to make every compa...