Techmeme
July 19, 2023, 3:25 PM

Top News

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple built a framework called Ajax to build LLMs, created a chatbot app that some engineers call “Apple GPT”, and aims for a consumer product in 2024  —  - Company builds large language models and internal chatbot  — Executives haven't decided how to release tools to consumers
Or Goren / Cord Busters:
Netflix removes its $10 Basic tier, its most affordable ad-free tier, in the US and UK for new and rejoining members  —  This post may contain affiliate links*  —  Breaking: In a major shakeup of its pricing model, Netflix, the global streaming giant, has abandoned its low-cost ‘Basic’ tier …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard agree to extend their merger agreement to October 18, pending the outcome of negotiations with UK regulators  —  Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have agreed to extend their merger agreement pending the outcome of negotiations with UK regulators.
Wall Street Journal:
Microsoft will make 31 security logs available for free to its lower-cost cloud service licensees from September, after criticism about China hack disclosures  —  Company says it will make security logs available to customers with lower-cost cloud services  —  Microsoft said it plans …
Emily Nicolle / Bloomberg:
France designates Societe Generale's blockchain unit Forge a digital asset service provider, issuing the country's first license under its new crypto rules  —  - Forge awarded permissions to act as custodian, trade crypto  — License will help meet demand from institutional clients: CEO
Madhumita Murgia / Financial Times:
Microsoft, OpenAI, Cohere, and others are testing the use of “synthetic data”, as they find generic data from the web is no longer good enough for training LLMs  —  Microsoft, OpenAI and Cohere experiment with “synthetic data,” as they reach the limits of information created by humans
Todd Haselton / CNBC:
Microsoft's stock closed up 4% at $359.49 on July 18, an all-time high, after announcing Microsoft 365 Copilot's subscription pricing; MSFT is up 45%+ in 2023  —  - Microsoft shares rallied to an all-time high after the company announced pricing for its new Microsoft 365 artificial intelligence subscription service.
Will Shanklin / Engadget:
Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch:
Meta launches a standalone WhatsApp app for Wear OS 3, letting smartwatch users start chats, reply to messages, and take calls without their connected phone  —  WhatsApp has finally launched its standalone app for smartwatches running Google's Wear OS, after much anticipation and months-long beta testing.
Matthew Humphries / PCMag:
Intel grants Asus a non-exclusive license to its NUC designs; Asus plans to make, sell, and support 10th to 13th gen systems and can develop new system designs  —  The agreement covers existing NUCs and allows Asus to design new models. … , Asus is granted a non-exclusive license …
Jennifer Elias / CNBC:
Sources: Google is piloting an opt-in program that gives volunteer employees internet-free PCs, in a bid to reduce the risk of cyberattacks against the company  —  - Google is enlisting employees for a pilot program to work without internet access.  — The search giant …
Sean Hollister / The Verge:
Hands-on with the Framework Laptop 16, a modular gaming laptop that lets you replace and upgrade the GPU; the DIY edition is available for pre-order for $1,399+  —  Four layers of modular components — including a swappable discrete GPU — right at your fingertips.
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Beats Studio Pro review: headphones with a good transparency mode, lossless USB-C audio, and native iOS and Android support, but a subpar build quality for $350  —  They look like a lazy refresh from the outside, but the noise-canceling Studio Pros include a ton of new features like transparency mode and lossless USB-C audio.
Bloomberg:
Researchers say hate speech and misinfo are rising on Twitter; CEO Linda Yaccarino says that's not true and touts improvements, like more ad placement controls  —  Since Musk's takeover, a number of researchers see a rise in hate speech, violent content  —  Elon Musk's Twitter acquisition …
Gene Park / Washington Post:
A look at “non-playable character” TikTok creators, like Pinkydoll, who livestream themselves saying phrases and doing robotic actions repetitively for tips  —  On TikTok, a woman named Pinkydoll with a thousand-yard stare faces you, undulating just enough to let you know she's alive.
Brian Heater / TechCrunch:
Unity launches PolySpatial, which was unveiled alongside the Vision Pro at WWDC to help developers port and create 3D experiences for Apple's visionOS, in beta  —  Unity this morning announced that it has opened the beta version of its development platform for visionOS.
Axios:
Sources: Vox Media plans to stop using Chorus, its CMS that the company licensed to external publishers from 2018 to 2022, and move its websites to WordPress  —  Vox Media, the parent company to websites such as New York Magazine, Eater and SB Nation, will no longer use Chorus …
Yueqi Yang / Bloomberg:
Nasdaq halts the launch of its digital-asset custodian business in the US and pursuing a related license, citing a shifting business and regulatory environment  —  The exchange operator is also halting its efforts to pursue a license related to the business but will continue to build out its technological capability to handle crypto.
Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch:
Over 8,500 authors sign an Authors Guild letter asking AI leaders to get consent and fairly compensate writers when using copyrighted material for generative AI  —  If you ask GPT-4 to do a passage in the style of Carmen Machado or Margaret Atwood or Alexander Chee, it will do a fair job at it …
Financial Times:
Sources: Threads has largely replicated Instagram's algorithm, prioritizing posts by creators and friends over hard news, and is relying on Instagram moderators  —  Facebook's parent company downgrades current affairs on Threads app and refuses to engage with Canadian law designed to fund media groups

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