Google Lifts a Ban on Using Its AI for Weapons and Surveillance

Zelenskyy in final pitch for US weapons before Trump enters White House

Also in this newsletter: Will Slovakia really cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine?

Financial Times - Jan. 10

Boeing and Google each give $1m for Trump inauguration

The US companies join other major firms donating funds for the ceremony on 20 January.

BBC News - Jan. 10

Toyota rethinks its bet on hydrogen

The world’s largest carmaker is pivoting to commercial vehicles after passenger cars fail to gain traction

Financial Times - Jan. 10

Destiny 2 Gets New Legendary Weapons And Increased Caps In Revenant Act 3

Earlier this week, the ongoing saga of Destiny 2 reached a new turning point with the release of Revenant Act 3. But the conclusion of that chapter means that players are getting new weapons and ...

GameSpot - Jan. 9

Meta Secretly Trained Its AI on a Notorious Piracy Database, Newly Unredacted Court Docs Reveal

One of the most important AI copyright legal battles just took a major turn.

Wired - Jan. 9

How the US TikTok Ban Would Actually Work

The fate of TikTok now rests in the hands of the US Supreme Court. If a law banning the social video app this month is upheld, it won’t disappear from your phone—but it will get messy fast.

Wired - Jan. 9

Google and Microsoft donate $1m each to Trump’s inaugural fund

Tech giants follow footsteps of other major companies, including Amazon, Meta, OpenAI and Uber. Google and Microsoft have donated $1m each to Donald Trump ’s inauguration fund, following in ...

The Guardian - Jan. 9

Lift, rest, recover: how to start weightlifting

Strength training brings multiple benefits and anyone can do it – just as long as they start by getting their form right. Human beings have always been obsessed with picking up heavy things. ...

The Guardian - Jan. 9

Hollywood Hills fire evacuation order to be lifted after blaze contained

Subsiding winds and new resources bring first hope that authorities in Los Angeles can bring disaster under control

Financial Times - Jan. 9

Biden administration providing additional $500M in weapons to Ukraine

The Biden administration is providing an additional $500 million package in weapons and equipment to Ukraine from its existing military stockpiles, looking to further reinforce Kyiv's military less ...

The Hill - Jan. 9

Amazon aims to expand advertising business by letting retailers use its ad tools on their stores

Amazon Retail Ad Service will allow sites to show "contextually relevant ads in the right place and at the right time" in search results, the company said.

CNBC - Jan. 9

How Narvar is using AI and data to enhance post-purchase customer experiences

How Narvar's new tech is using AI to harness the power of 42 billion consumer interactions a year to improve retail operations.

VentureBeat - Jan. 9

Fake Aldi on Google Maps wreaks 'havoc' on village

Shoppers end up empty handed after driving to a rural village hoping to buy their bread and milk.

BBC News - Jan. 9

Cohere just launched ‘North,’ its biggest AI bet yet for privacy-focused enterprises

Cohere launches North, a secure enterprise AI platform outperforming Microsoft Copilot and Google Vertex AI in testing, with Royal Bank of Canada among early adopters implementing the technology ...

VentureBeat - Jan. 9

Inclusive transition best path to lifting of Syria sanctions, says UN special envoy

Geir Pedersen tells security council the HTS administration has great opportunities but also risks making missteps. A credible process leading to a new transitional government involving all strands ...

The Guardian - Jan. 8

Suspect used legal weapon in deadly shooting at German company

Yahoo News - Jan. 8

Delta Just Announced Its Plan to Use AI to Solve the Worst Thing About Traveling

A new in-app concierge relies on AI to give customers a personalized experience.

Inc. - Jan. 8

Young hits 50-foot buzzer-beater to lift Hawks

Trae Young hit a 50-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Hawks a 124-121 win over the Jazz on Tuesday night.

ESPN - Jan. 8

Story uses Web3 to enable creators to capture the value they contribute to the AI ecosystem

Story, an intellectual property blockchain, believes that creators, developers and artists should be able to be rewarded for what they contribute to AI.

VentureBeat - Jan. 8

Indonesia says $1bn offer from Apple not enough to lift iPhone 16 ban

Minister says proposed AirTag factory would not help US tech giant meet local content rules on smartphone sales

Financial Times - Jan. 8

Overtime Still Showtime as Kane Lifts Red Wings over Ottawa

Patrick Kane proves his star power once more with the overtime winner as the Red Wings pick up their fifth straight win and crawl back to .500 for the season

Yahoo Sports - Jan. 8

Google, Warren Buffett, and Science Agree: These 3 Words Are the Best Path to Remarkable Success

Google, Warren Buffett, and science on the fundamental algorithm of lifelong success and happiness.

Inc. - Jan. 8

Europe can still win in AI despite US dominance, says Skype co-founder

Niklas Zennström believes continent can thrive by developing applications on top of artificial intelligence models

Financial Times - Jan. 8

Trae Young hits ridiculous half-court buzzer-beater to lift Hawks past Jazz

After a wild shot from Collin Sexton on the other end, Trae Young called game in Salt Lake City.

Yahoo Sports - Jan. 8

Holidays and higher egg prices lift Cal-Maine’s results and stock

Results reflected ‘seasonal boost leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday’ as well as higher prices due to bird-flu outbreak

MarketWatch - Jan. 8

Labor Board Says Google Should Have to Bargain With Contractors’ Union

A National Labor Relations Board complaint says that as a joint employer of workers from IT staffing firm Accenture Flex, the tech giant should be obliged to negotiate with its union.

Inc. - Jan. 7

Countries are tracking Russia's shadow fleet using AI after suspected attacks on undersea cables

Yahoo News - Jan. 7

How to use AI to be more productive and successful at work

Smarter by CNBC Make It's online course will help you understand new AI tools and how you can use them to save time at work, in your business, and in life.

CNBC - Jan. 7

More breast cancer cases found when AI used in screenings, study finds

First real-world test finds approach has higher detection rate without having a higher rate of false positives. The use of artificial intelligence in breast cancer screening increases the chance of ...

The Guardian - Jan. 7

‘You’re gonna find this creepy’: my AI-cloned voice was used by the far right. Could I stop it? | Georgina Findlay

It was chilling to hear ‘my voice’ repeating lies – and to discover that deepfake audio is a growing threat to democracy. Georgina Findlay is a writer and presenter at the YouTube channel TLDR ...