Innholdsfortegnelse for #591 i Techlife News

On State of the Union night, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo strode down the aisle and found her seat in front of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell, not known to waste words, complimented Raimondo on a recent writeup about her efforts to restore the U.S. as the world leader in advanced computer chips. Factories, autos, appliances, electronics, toys, toothbrushes and weapons systems all depend on semiconductors, and the need for global supremacy in this small sector of the world economy is a rare area where Republicans and Democrats share the same vision. “Nice George Will article,” McConnell said, referring to the conservative columnist’s comments on Raimondo. “Thank you. I’m going to implement that and I’m going to do it responsibly,” Raimondo said of the $52 billion that lawmakers last year…

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, and the first to see algorithms and TikTok videos deployed alongside fighter planes and tanks. The online fight has played out on computer screens and smartphones around the globe as Russia used disinformation, propaganda and conspiracy theories to justify its invasion, silence domestic opposition and sow discord among its adversaries. Now in its second year, the war is likely to spawn even more disinformation as Russia looks to break the will of Ukraine and its allies. “The natural question is: What’s next to come? We know that Russia is preparing for a protracted conflict,” said Samantha Lewis, a manager of strategic geopolitics with the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. “Ukrainian morale is almost certainly a key target…

With the AI war heating up and companies like Microsoft and Google battling it out to offer more advanced technologies to their customers, Apple looks set to enter the ring next. With its own AI conference, Siri enhancements, and hardware, there’s much to look forward to. APPLE’S AI-FOCUSED EVENT Apple’s recent AI summit, an employee-only event described as the “WWDC for AI,” was set to be the Cupertino company’s answer to ChatGPT, bringing Apple firmly into the ring in the AI battles. The reality, however, is slightly different: it’s been reported to have been less groundbreaking than anticipated. The summit, held in person at the Steve Jobs Theater, was a rare opportunity for teams to get together after years of virtual-only events. However, it was more of a chance for…

Baidu Inc., one of China’s biggest search and artificial intelligence firms, said Thursday it plans to implement its artificial intelligence chatbot Ernie into its search services from March. Baidu, which is known for its search engine and autonomous driving technology, leads China’s efforts to create an equivalent of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot. It said earlier this month that it will complete internal testing of Ernie Bot in March before making the service public. In an internal memo, Baidu CEO Robin Li said that Ernie Bot will be integrated across all of Baidu’s operations, including its search and cloud services. Baidu also plans to integrate Ernie into its smart car operating system and smart speaker. The company’s stock price in New York jumped nearly 7% to more than $150 a share after…

Automaker Stellantis reported its earnings grew in 2022 from a year earlier and said its push into electric vehicles led to a jump in sales even as it faces growing competition from an industrywide shift to more climate-friendly offerings. Stellantis, formed in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA Peugeot, said net revenue of 179.6 billion euros ($191 billion) was up 18% from 2021, citing strong pricing and its mix of vehicles. It reported net profit of 16.8 billion euros, up 26% from 2021. Stellantis plans to convert all of its European sales and half of its U.S. sales to battery-electric vehicles by 2030. It said the strategy led to a 41% increase in battery EV sales in 2022, to 288,000 vehicles, compared with the year earlier.…

A Japanese startup announced plans to launch commercial space viewing balloon flights that it hopes will bring an otherwise astronomically expensive experience down to Earth. Company CEO Keisuke Iwaya said passengers do not need to be billionaires, go through intense training or have the language skills needed to fly in a rocket. “It’s safe, economical and gentle for people,” Iwaya told reporters. “The idea is to make space tourism for everyone.” He said he wants to “democratize space.” The company, Iwaya Giken, based in Sapporo in northern Japan, has been working on the project since 2012 and says it has developed an airtight two-seat cabin and a balloon capable of rising up to an altitude of 25 kilometers (15 miles), where the curve of the Earth can be clearly viewed.…

The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.7% annual rate from October through December, a solid showing despite rising interest rates and elevated inflation, the government said Thursday in a downgrade from its initial estimate. The government had previously estimated that the economy grew at a 2.9% annual rate last quarter. The Commerce Department’s revised estimate of the fourth quarter’s gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and services — marked a deceleration from the 3.2% growth rate from July through September. Thursday’s report revised down the government’s estimate of consumer spending growth in the October-December quarter, from a 2.1% rate to 1.4%. That was the weakest such showing since the first quarter of last year. Business spending also slowed in the fourth quarter, suggesting that the economy…

Consumers are willing to pay monthly subscription fees for streaming services, pet food and even toilet paper. And now some restaurants are betting they’ll do the same for their favorite meals. Large chains like Panera and P.F. Chang’s as well as neighborhood hangouts are increasingly experimenting with the subscription model as a way to ensure steady revenue and customer visits. Some offer unlimited drinks or free delivery for a monthly fee; others will bring out your favorite appetizer each time you visit. They’re following a trend: The average American juggled 6.7 subscriptions in 2022, up from 4.2 in 2019, according to Rocket Money, a personal finance app. “This is just another way for customers to provide a level of support and joy and love for our offerings,” said Matt Baker,…

Meta is testing a new subscription service that would let Facebook and Instagram users pay for a verified account. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta Verified on his social media accounts. Testing will begin in New Zealand and Australia this week and will roll out to other countries soon, he said. For $11.99 per month on the web or $14.99 per month on Apple and Android operating systems, Meta will use a government identification to verify a user’s account and give the account a blue badge. Previously, Meta’s blue badges were free and reserved for notable public figures or businesses. Subscribers will also get extra protection against account impersonation and direct access to customer support, Meta said. “This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” Zuckerberg…

Microsoft is ready to take its new Bing chatbot mainstream — less than a week after making major fixes to stop the artificially intelligent search engine from going off the rails. The company said Wednesday it is bringing the new AI technology to its Bing smartphone app, as well as the app for its Edge internet browser. Putting the new AI-enhanced search engine into the hands of smartphone users is meant to give Microsoft an advantage over Google, which dominates the internet search business but hasn’t yet released such a chatbot to the public. In the two weeks since Microsoft unveiled its revamped Bing, more than a million users around the world have experimented with a public preview of the new product after signing up for a waitlist to try…

The 2023 Honda CR-V and 2023 Kia Sportage are two highly rated small SUVs. Notably, they also come in hybrid versions that offer some compelling advantages. The big one is significantly better fuel efficiency than the regular gas-only versions. They’re also more powerful and have the same interior space. Altogether, it’s pretty easy to justify the slight price premiums that the hybrid CR-V and Sportage command. But which SUV should you get? The Honda CR-V has long been considered a benchmark of the class and it receives a full redesign for 2023 that ushers in a roomier interior, enhanced technology features and an improved hybrid powertrain. The Kia Sportage also received a 2023 redesign. It’s got a bold new look, up-to-date tech and an all-new hybrid powertrain to rival the…

Amazon will require its corporate employees to return to the office at least three days a week. CEO Andy Jassy announced the policy in a memo to staff. It marks a shift from Amazon’s current policy of allowing leaders to determine how their teams worked. The change will go into effect May 1. Many companies have been calling their employees back to the office after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to operate virtually. Last month, Starbucks told its corporate employees to plan to work from the office three days a week. Disney is asking employees to plan for four in-office days starting in March. And Walmart said this week that it would require its tech teams to plan regular in-office work days. Jassy said in his memo that Amazon made…

The European Union’s executive branch said Thursday that it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure, reflecting widening worries from Western officials over the Chinese-owned video sharing app. In a first for the European Commission, its Corporate Management Board suspended the use of TikTok on devices issued to staff or personal devices that staff use for work. TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny from Europe and the U.S. over security and data privacy amid worries that the hugely popular app could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or sweep up users’ information. It comes as China and the West are locked in a wider tug of war over technology ranging from spy balloons to computer chips. The EU’s action follows similar moves in the U.S., where…

The government agency responsible for tracking down contaminated peanut butter and defective pacemakers is taking on a new health hazard: online misinformation. It’s an unlikely role for the Food and Drug Administration, a sprawling, century-old bureaucracy that for decades directed most its communications toward doctors and corporations. But FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf has spent the last year warning that growing “distortions and half-truths” surrounding vaccines and other medical products are now “a leading cause of death in America.” “Almost no one should be dying of COVID in the U.S. today,” Califf told, noting the government’s distribution of free vaccines and antiviral medications. “People who are denying themselves that opportunity are dying because they’re misinformed.” Califf, who first led the agency under President Barack Obama, said the FDA could once…

Twitter users were greeted last weekend with an ultimatum from the social media app: Subscribe to the platform’s new premium service or lose a popular account security feature. A pop-up message warned users they will lose the ability to secure their accounts via text message two-factor authentication unless they pay $8 a month to subscribe to Twitter Blue. The message said that starting March 19, users who don’t subscribe will be locked out of their accounts until they remove the security feature. Here are some questions and answers about why Twitter made this change and alternative ways to secure your account: WHAT IS TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION? Two-factor authentication adds a second layer of security to password-protected accounts by having users enter an auto-generated code to log in. This extra step helps…

Twenty-six words tucked into a 1996 law overhauling telecommunications have allowed companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google to grow into the giants they are today. A case coming before the U.S. Supreme Court this week, Gonzalez v. Google, challenges this law — namely whether tech companies are liable for the material posted on their platforms. Justices will decide whether the family of an American college student killed in a terror attack in Paris can sue Google, which owns YouTube, over claims that the video platform’s recommendation algorithm helped extremists spread their message. A second case, Twitter v. Taamneh, also focuses on liability, though on different grounds. The outcomes of these cases could reshape the internet as we know it. Section 230 won’t be easily dismantled. But if it is, online…

Microsoft’s Xbox video game division announced new partnerships with Nintendo and chipmaker Nvidia as it tries to persuade European regulators to approve its planned $68.7 billion takeover of game publishing giant Activision Blizzard. A key audience for the announcements were the European Union antitrust regulators who held a closed-door meeting with executives from Microsoft and some of its competitors, including Sony and Google. Microsoft announced a 10-year agreement with chipmaker Nvidia to bring Xbox games to Nvidia’s cloud gaming service. Microsoft also said it has now signed a similar deal with Nintendo, formalizing a commitment it revealed late last year. What it does not have is an agreement with Xbox’s chief rival, PlayStation-maker Sony, which has sought to convince antitrust regulators around the world to stop the Activision Blizzard merger.…