Kate Rooney / CNBC:
Sources: Amazon plans to make Alexa more conversational later in 2024, adding generative AI features, and will charge a fee to offset the cost of the tech — WATCH NOW — Amazon is upgrading its decade-old Alexa voice assistant with generative artificial intelligence and plans to charge …
Cologne-based AI translation startup DeepL, which develops its own models, raised $300M led by Index Ventures at a $2B valuation and reports 100K+ customers (Isabelle Bousquette/Wall Street Journal)
Isabelle Bousquette / Wall Street Journal:
Cologne-based AI translation startup DeepL, which develops its own models, raised $300M led by Index Ventures at a $2B valuation and reports 100K+ customers — The round, led by Index Ventures, reflects businesses’ increasing interest in function-specific AI models
Google starts rolling out its Magic Editor and other AI tools to all Android and iOS users for free via Photos, offering 10 Magic Editor library saves per month (Abner Li/9to5Google)
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google starts rolling out its Magic Editor and other AI tools to all Android and iOS users for free via Photos, offering 10 Magic Editor library saves per month — Last month, Google Photos announced that it would be making Magic Editor and other AI-powered tools free for all Android and iOS users.
Chinese smartphone maker Honor plans to include Google’s Gemini and Imagen 2, powered by Google Cloud, in upcoming devices, one of the first companies to do so (Arjun Kharpal/CNBC)
Arjun Kharpal / CNBC:
Chinese smartphone maker Honor plans to include Google’s Gemini and Imagen 2, powered by Google Cloud, in upcoming devices, one of the first companies to do so — Chinese smartphone maker Honor on Wednesday became one of the first device makers to say it will bring Google’s artificial intelligence features to its upcoming devices.
China releases an AI model trained on “Xi Jinping Thought” and other official literature, initially in research testing, a source says before a wider launch (Financial Times)
Financial Times:
China releases an AI model trained on “Xi Jinping Thought” and other official literature, initially in research testing, a source says before a wider launch — Internet regulator uses Chinese leader’s political philosophy to help answer questions posed to latest large language model
Microsoft and UAE-based G42 plan to build a $1B geothermal-powered data center in Kenya, opening in about two years, to boost computing capacity in East Africa (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg:
Microsoft and UAE-based G42 plan to build a $1B geothermal-powered data center in Kenya, opening in about two years, to boost computing capacity in East Africa — Project will create a Microsoft cloud region in East Africa and provide competition for Chinese companies like Huawei.
A review of privacy-focused /e/OS, a fully “deGoogled” OS based on the Android Open Source Project, that combines Micro G, to handle Google APIs, and LineageOS (Scott Gilbertson/Wired)
Scott Gilbertson / Wired:
A review of privacy-focused /e/OS, a fully “deGoogled” OS based on the Android Open Source Project, that combines Micro G, to handle Google APIs, and LineageOS — Even if you aren’t technically inclined, this privacy-first mobile operating system helps you escape surveillance capitalism.
Cambridge-based Raspberry Pi confirms plans for a London Stock Exchange IPO, aiming to raise $40M and listing in June, and reports $265.8M in 2023 revenue (Thyagaraju Adinarayan/Bloomberg)
Thyagaraju Adinarayan / Bloomberg:
Cambridge-based Raspberry Pi confirms plans for a London Stock Exchange IPO, aiming to raise $40M and listing in June, and reports $265.8M in 2023 revenue — – Set to sell $40 million in new shares and list on main market — Arm and Lansdowne Partners are cornerstone investors in IPO
An investigation into online ticketing service Eventbrite found 7.4K+ illicit listings, including illegal drug sales, some of which its algorithm recommended (Wired)
Wired:
An investigation into online ticketing service Eventbrite found 7.4K+ illicit listings, including illegal drug sales, some of which its algorithm recommended — A WIRED investigation found thousands of Eventbrite posts selling escort services and drugs like Xanax and oxycodone …
OpenAI’s Scarlett Johansson debacle is merely a reminder of AI’s manifest destiny philosophy: “This is happening, whether you like it or not”, consent be damned (Charlie Warzel/The Atlantic)
Charlie Warzel / The Atlantic:
OpenAI’s Scarlett Johansson debacle is merely a reminder of AI’s manifest destiny philosophy: “This is happening, whether you like it or not”, consent be damned — The Scarlett Johansson debacle is a microcosm of AI’s raw deal: It’s happening, and you can’t stop it.