CATEGORIES

GOOGLE LAUNCHES GEMINI, UPPING THE STAKES IN THE GLOBAL AI RACE

Google took its next leap in artificial intelligence Wednesday with the launch of project Gemini, an AI model trained to behave in human-like ways that’s likely to intensify the debate about the technology’s potential promise and perils.

HOW DID HUMANS GET TO THE BRINK OF CRASHING CLIMATE?

Amidst record-high temperatures, deluges, droughts and wildfires, leaders are convening for another round of United Nations climate talks later this month that seek to curb the centuries-long trend of humans spewing ever more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

NISSAN WILL INVEST $1.4 BILLION TO MAKE EV VERSIONS OF ITS BEST-SELLING CARS AT ITS UK FACTORY

Nissan will invest $1.4 billion to update its factory in northeast England to make electric versions of its two best-selling cars, a boost for the British government as it tries to revive the country’s ailing economy.

NEW INCENTIVES COULD BOOST SATISFACTION WITH IN-PERSON WORK, BUT FEW EMPLOYERS ARE MAKING CHANGES

Justin Ryan Horton has two jobs. When he’s not putting in 24-hour shifts as a firefighter, the 22-year-old is working as an administrative assistant for a local community college from his home in Colorado Springs.

DISNEY'S MUSICAL FAIRY TALE 'WISH' IS BEAUTIFUL, BUT LACKING MAGIC

Walt Disney Animation’s “Wish” is stunning to look at with textured and rich watercolor-inspired animation and easter egg treasures for audiences nostalgic for the classics.

AMAZON LAUNCHES Q, A BUSINESS CHATBOT POWERED BY GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Amazon finally has its answer to ChatGPT.

THE BEST AUTOMOTIVE HANDS-FREE DRIVING SYSTEMS

While fully automated vehicles are still a ways off, the stepping stone of hands-free driving technology has become prevalent in the past few years.

CONNECTICUT LAWMAKERS SEEK COMPROMISE ON SWITCH TO ALL-ELECTRIC CARS, AFTER AMBITIOUS PLAN SCRAPPED

A compromise plan to eventually end the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles in Connecticut could be worked out as early as next year’s legislative session, state lawmakers said.

FAKE AI-GENERATED WOMAN ON TECH CONFERENCE AGENDA LEADS MICROSOFT AND AMAZON EXECS TO DROP OUT

Tech executives at Microsoft and Amazon have dropped out of an upcoming software conference after at least one of the women on the agenda turned out to be fake.

COURT DOCUMENT CLAIMS META KNOWINGLY DESIGNED ITS PLATFORMS TO HOOK KIDS, REPORTS SAY

Facebook parent Meta Platforms deliberately engineered its social platforms to hook kids and knew — but never disclosed — it had received millions of complaints about underage users on Instagram but only disabled a fraction of those accounts, according to a newly unsealed legal complaint described in reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

GOOGLE WILL START DELETING 'INACTIVE' ACCOUNTS IN DECEMBER. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Have a Google account you haven’t used in a while? If you want to keep it from disappearing, you should sign in before the end of the week.

APPLE TO END CREDIT CARD PARTNERSHIP WITH GOLDMAN SACHS

Apple is pulling the plug on its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street Journal reported this week.

Christmas Gifts

THE PERFECT PRESENT IDEAS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY & FRIENDS

Q&A: PENTAGON AI CHIEF ON NETWORK-CENTRIC WARFARE, GENERATIVE AI CHALLENGES

The Pentagon’s chief digital and artificial intelligence offer, Craig Martell, is alarmed by the potential for generative artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT to deceive and sow disinformation. His talk on the technology at the DefCon hacker convention in August was a huge hit. But he’s anything but sour on reliable AI.

PENTAGON'S AI INITIATIVES ACCELERATE HARD DECISIONS ON LETHAL AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS

Artificial intelligence employed by the U.S. military has piloted pint-sized surveillance drones in special operations forces’ missions and helped Ukraine in its war against Russia. It tracks soldiers’ fitness, predicts when Air Force planes need maintenance and helps keep tabs on rivals in space.

NASCAR TO INCLUDE STREAMING IN NEW 7-YEAR MEDIA RIGHTS DEAL THAT WELCOMES AMAZON, TNT, AND MAX

NASCAR has added two new partners and streaming elements to a seven-year media rights deal announced Wednesday that will run from 2025 through the 2031 season.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS THE LATEST MEDIA COMPANY DAMAGED BY AN AI EXPERIMENT GONE WRONG

Computer-generated writers ... writing computer-generated stories?

THOUSANDS OF FAKE FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS SHUT DOWN BY META WERE PRIMED TO POLARIZE VOTERS AHEAD OF 2024

Someone in China created thousands of fake social media accounts designed to appear to be from Americans and used them to spread polarizing political content in an apparent effort to divide the U.S. ahead of next year’s elections, Meta said Thursday.

NEW TECHNOLOGY INSTALLED BENEATH DETROIT STREET CAN CHARGE ELECTRIC VEHICLES AS THEY DRIVE

Crews have installed what’s billed as the nation’s first wireless-charging public roadway for electric vehicles beneath a street just west of downtown Detroit.

WHAT DOES SAM ALTMAN'S FIRING (AND QUICK REINSTATEMENT) MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF AI?

It’s been quite a week for ChatGPT-maker OpenAI — and co-founder Sam Altman.

US ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES TO HIT RECORD THIS YEAR, BUT STILL LAG BEHIND CHINA AND GERMANY

Electric vehicle sales are expected to hit a record 9% of all passenger vehicles in the U.S. this year, according to Atlas Public Policy. That will be up from 7.3% of new car sales in 2022.

REGULATORS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT CRACK DOWN ON CRYPTO'S BAD ACTORS. CONGRESS HAS YET TO TAKE ACTION

While the scandals in the cryptocurrency industry seem to never end, Washington policymakers appear to have little interest in pushing through legislation to codify the structure of the industry.

ATTENTIVE ENERGY INVESTING $10.6M IN SUPPLY CHAIN, STARTUPS TO HELP NEW JERSEY OFFSHORE WIND

A company proposing an offshore wind farm in New Jersey is investing $10.6 million in projects to help grow the industry’s supply chain and support ocean-based technology startup businesses in the state.

DISNEYLAND'S $60B EXPANSION MEANS PARKS IN HONG KONG AND SHANGHAI ARE ONLY GETTING BIGGER

Hong Kong Disneyland opened its first Frozen-themed attraction this week, with thousands of eager visitors turning up to experience the new rides, some lining up for hours to get an early start.

NEW JERSEY BANNING SALE OF NEW GASOLINE-POWERED VEHICLES BY 2035

New Jersey will prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 as part of an effort to improve air quality and reduce planet-warming pollutants, officials announced this week.

IN RIDLEY SCOTT'S 'NAPOLEON,' THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES BUT PLENTY OF EGO

For such a famed historical figure, Napoleon has made only fleeting appearances in movies since Abel Gance’s 1927 silent film.

UK LEADER RISHI SUNAK URGES WORLD TO USE AI & SCIENCE TO END MALNUTRITION

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said this week that the U.K. is setting up a new science initiative to help develop flood-tolerant rice, disease-resistant wheat and other crops that are more resilient to climate change.

IRS DELAYS REPORTING RULES FOR USERS OF VENMO, CASH APP AND OTHER PAYMENT APPS

Users of Venmo, Cash App and other payment apps will get a tax reprieve this year. The IRS announced Tuesday it will delay implementing new reporting requirements that were to take effect for the coming tax filing season.

CORPORATE, GLOBAL LEADERS PEER INTO A FUTURE EXPECTED TO BE RESHAPED BY AI, FOR BETTER OR WORSE

Last week, President Joe Biden and other global leaders have spent days melding minds with Silicon Valley titans in San Francisco, their discussions frequently focusing on artificial intelligence, a technology expected to reshape the world, for better or worse.

LARGEST CRYPTO EXCHANGE BINANCE FINED $4 BILLION CEO PLEADS GUILTY TO NOT STOPPING MONEY LAUNDERING

The U.S. government dealt a massive blow to Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, which agreed to pay a roughly $4 billion settlement Tuesday as its founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to a felony related to his failure to prevent money laundering on the platform.