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Did you know we also produce our own podcasts? 🎙️
Subscribe to Beyond the Byline, the Tech Brief, or the Agrifood Podcast on Spotify, Apple podcasts ... Show more https://www.euractiv.com/newsletters/?utm_content=1669366811&utm_medium=EURACTIV&utm_source=facebook https://www.euractiv.com/podcast/?utm_content=1669366811&utm_medium=EURACTIV&utm_source=facebook
Did you know we also produce our own podcasts? 🎙️
Subscribe to Beyond the Byline, the Tech Brief, or the Agrifood Podcast on Spotify, Apple podcasts ... Show more https://www.euractiv.com/newsletters/?utm_content=1668758406&utm_medium=EURACTIV&utm_source=facebook https://www.euractiv.com/podcast/?utm_content=1668758406&utm_medium=EURACTIV&utm_source=facebook
Quick Glance: Google restructuring operations and relocating roles to 'hubs' to fund AI investments
- Google is implementing staff layoffs and transferring certain roles to 'hubs' to secure funds for artificial intelligence investments.
- The finance and real estate teams are being affected by the downsizing, with some roles being moved overseas.
- Through the consolidation of finance teams in Bangalore, Mexico City, Dublin, Chicago, and Atlanta, Google aims to enhance efficiency and operate around the clock.
- The restructuring is driven by the substantial shift towards artificial intelligence in the tech industry, prompting Google to allocate more resources to this domain.
Quick Glance: Kim Leads Rocket Drills for Nuclear Counterattacks
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised rocket launches simulating nuclear counterattacks.
- The drills showcased the strength of the country's nuclear forces.
- The rockets were described as highly accurate and capable of carrying tactical nuclear warheads.
- The US and South Korea are responding with enhanced military exercises and nuclear deterrence strategies.
Quick Glance: Google Fires More Employees Following Israel Deal Protests
- An activist group has reported that Google has terminated at least 20 more employees in response to protests over the technology supplied to the Israeli government amid the Gaza conflict, bringing the total number of dismissed employees to over 50.
- This serves as another indication of internal unrest at the tech giant, revolving around 'Project Nimbus,' a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2021 for Google and Amazon to provide cloud computing and AI services to the Israeli government.
- Last week, demonstrations were held by employees at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, resulting in the company contacting law enforcement, leading to subsequent arrests.
- According to Google, the additional terminations were carried out after an investigation gathered information from colleagues who were 'physically disrupted,' and employees were identified who wore masks and did not carry their ID badges to conceal their identities. The company refuted the group's allegations, asserting that it meticulously verified that 'each individual whose employment was terminated was personally and conclusively involved in disruptive activities within our premises.'
Quick Glance: Fallout: Season 2 Must Embrace Darkness
- For Fallout on Amazon to succeed, Season 2 needs to embrace a darker and more sinister tone.
- Critiques of the first season include a lack of moral complexity and unfulfilled character potential.
- Simplification of character complexity in favor of plot advancement must be addressed in Season 2.
- In order to maintain viewer engagement, the protagonists must become darker and more complex in Season 2.
Quick Glance: Implications of a TikTok Ban on China's Technology Plans and Global Digital Divide
- TikTok is at a critical juncture in America as its Chinese owner must complete the sale of the app within a year to avoid a ban in its largest market.
- The potential TikTok ban would not only greatly weaken China's technology ambitions but also deepen the divide between the digital worlds of rival economic superpowers.
- The potential enforcement of a TikTok ban could expedite a transformation that divides the world's technological landscape into two factions, one around the US and the other around technologies from China.
- Chinese companies and apps operating in the US are encountering increasing challenges as the US government implements measures to restrict the access of Chinese companies to the market.
Quick Glance: Injury Rates at SpaceX Exceed Industry Average
- Injury rates at SpaceX facilities surpassed industry average in 2023.
- Injuries at SpaceX locations worsened compared to 2022.
- Experts raise concerns about the quality of work at SpaceX.
- SpaceX and Musk have not publicly addressed safety record in detail.
Quick Glance: UK Watchdog Scrutinizes AI Partnerships Involving Tech Giants
- Britain's competition watchdog is reviewing AI partnerships between Microsoft and Mistral AI, as well as between Amazon and Anthropic.
- Third-party opinions are being sought on Microsoft's hiring of former Inflection AI employees and related arrangements.
- The CMA is already investigating Microsoft's partnership with Open AI and is awaiting requested information from the companies.
- Views are invited until May 9 before formal investigations begin on the partnerships.
Quick Glance: Innovation and Performance: Overview of Google Gemini 1.0 Ultra
- Google Gemini 1.0 Ultra offers a user-friendly interface, longer queries, and improved coding results.
- As a large language model (LLM), Gemini can handle complex queries and mimic human language.
- The Advanced subscription of Google Gemini 1.0 Ultra costs $19.99 per month, providing access to the most powerful model.
- Gemini also supports coding in at least 20 programming languages and has features for debugging and explaining code.
Quick Glance: Google dismisses workers following protests on technology deal with Israeli government
- Following protests regarding the technology supplied to the Israeli government, Google has terminated employees, heightening tensions around a sensitive contract.
- The confirmed dismissals by Google on Wednesday occurred after nine individuals were detained during sit-in demonstrations in New York and Sunnyvale, California, a day subsequent to police intervention.
- Demonstrations are predominantly coordinated by a faction known as No Tech For Apartheid. Google states that Nimbus is not utilized for weaponry or intelligence purposes.
- Stated in a blog post, Google's CEO Sundar Pichai implied a close supervision of employees as the company enhances efforts in advancing its AI technology, marking a crucial phase in the industry and potentially humanity.
Quick Glance: Google terminates 28 employees after office occupation due to anti-Israel protests
- Google terminated 28 employees on Thursday who had occupied its offices to protest against contracts with the Israeli government, as confirmed by a Google spokesperson.
- The protesters were arrested and after refusing to leave the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in Sunnyvale or the workspace in New York City for nearly 10 hours, they were transferred to administrative positions to urge Google to terminate the Project Nimbus contract and cease business with the Israeli government.
- No Tech For Apartheid, a project by Jewish Voice for Peace and Linda Sarsour’s MPower Change, described the terminations as an "indiscriminate act of mass retaliation."
- The office occupations at Google were accompanied by demonstrations on-site and in Seattle, aiming to compel Google to withdraw from the project to establish cloud-based data centers and transition a significant portion of the Israeli government's IT infrastructure to cloud-based servers.
Quick Glance: Measures Against TikTok: Biden Sets Deadline for Sale
- President Biden has signed legislation requiring ByteDance to fully divest from TikTok within a year or potentially face a nationwide ban.
- This action poses a significant challenge to the future of the video-streaming app in the U.S. and escalates the technological conflict between America and China.
- TikTok plans to take legal action against the Biden administration, citing concerns that the law could impede the free speech of millions of Americans.
- This requirement was incorporated into a bill providing foreign aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, mandating ByteDance to sell its stake in TikTok within 12 months under the threat of closure.
Quick Glance: SafeNow Security App Testing at Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest
- The security app "SafeNow" is being tested at the Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest after previously being used at the Hamburg Central Station.
- Visitors of the festival tent can report incidents or threats anonymously through the app to enable a prompt response from security forces.
- The tent operator is investing in the necessary technology to ensure the app functions in the festival tent and hopes to expand the testing to other venues.
- The security app aims to enhance visitor safety, with plans to potentially extend its use to other locations such as the festival grounds and train station in Bad Cannstatt.
Quick Glance: Italy fines Amazon 10 mln euros for unfair practices
- Italy's antitrust authority fined two Amazon subsidiaries 10 million euros for alleged unfair commercial practices.
- Amazon was accused of limiting consumer choice by pre-setting recurring purchase options.
- The automatic pre-selection of recurring purchases influences buying habits and restricts consumer freedom of choice.
- Amazon was not available for immediate comment.