James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
TikTok just signed the deal to hand US operations to Oracle-led investor group
TikTok’s chief executive told employees today that the company has signed agreements that will ensure it can continue operating in the U.S. In a memo, Shou Zi Chew said that parent company ByteDance Ltd. and TikTok have signed binding agreements. Oracle Inc., private equity firm Silver Lake Partners LP, and Emirati-backed investment firm MGX will ...
Trump administration takes aim at EU over treatment of US tech giants
The Trump administration today issued a warning that the U.S. may strike back against European service providers for what it called “discriminatory” actions against U.S. Big Tech. “If the EU and EU Member States insist on continuing to restrict, limit and deter the competitiveness of U.S. service providers through discriminatory means, the United States will ...
Trump is recruiting tech personnel for government Tech Force
The Trump administration today announced it’s in the process of hiring an “elite corps of engineers” to join federal agencies and work on artificial intelligence infrastructure and other technology projects. The corps of about 1,000 engineers and other tech specialists will form the “U.S. Tech Force.” Throughout the two-year program, they will work in collaboration ...
Trump pushes back against states regulating AI with executive order
President Donald Trump today signed an executive order that will limit the ability of states to regulate artificial intelligence while attempting to address state AI laws already in place. “To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation,” the order says. “But excessive State regulation thwarts this imperative.” In order ...
Not ready? McDonald’s AI-generated ad taken down after public backlash
McDonald’s has pulled a Christmas ad that was produced with artificial intelligence after the fast-food chain came under fire from much of the public. The 45-second film was released publicly on McDonald’s Netherlands YouTube channel on Dec. 6. Comprising a sequence of AI-generated clips, the ad featured people having a tough time at Christmas – ...
EU will investigate Google over how it uses online content for AI training
The European Commission has launched a probe into Google over concerns it may be breaching EU competition laws by extracting content from websites without compensation to produce AI-generated search summaries. “The Commission will investigate to what extent the generation of AI Overviews and AI Mode by Google is based on web publishers’ content without appropriate ...
Studies find AI chatbots have the persuasive power to change political opinions
Two separate studies published today in the journals Science and Nature arrived at the same conclusion: Artificial intelligence chatbots can be very persuasive at molding a person’s political opinion, with researchers pointing to the possibility of generative AI influencing future election results. In the Nature study, researchers explained how they programmed various chatbots to advocate ...
Apple’s longtime design head Alan Dye joins Meta to lead new creative studio
Apple Inc.’s head of user interface design, Alan Dye, is leaving the company after almost 20 years and will now join Meta Platforms Inc. to head a new creative studio that will bring together design, fashion and technology. A major hire for Meta, Dye (pictured) was a lead executive on Liquid Glass, a key feature ...
Apple names former Microsoft, Google executive to replace current AI chief
Apple Inc. today announced the departure of its artificial intelligence chief, John Giannandrea, who will be replaced by AI researcher Amar Subramanya, a longtime Google LLC executive who more recently worked for Microsoft Corp. Giannandrea joined Apple in 2018 to help improve the company’s voice assistant after previously working at Google in AI and Search. ...
EU moves to ban social media for kids under 16 who don’t have parents’ consent
The European Parliament today adopted a proposal calling to ban social media for teenagers under the age of 16 as lawmakers weigh up the effects of addictive technologies on young people’s mental health. The resolution was passed by a majority of Members of the European Parliament, or MEPs. It’s not legally binding, and it’s still ...