The article discusses the experience of Kacey Smith, a supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, as she navigated TikTok in the lead-up to the US presidential election. Initially optimistic about Harris' chances against Donald Trump, Smith began to notice troubling messages in her TikTok feed that seemed to oversimplify complex issues, such as framing women's rights as opposed to economic concerns.
Samsung’s CES presser is always an odd duck. The Korean electronics giant generally keeps its powder dry when it comes to consumer electronics. After all, it’s expected to announce its latest flagship handset — the Galaxy S25 — toward the end of January. CES 2025 is going to continue the company’s tradition of TVs and […]
The article discusses Samsung’s upcoming press conference at CES 2025, highlighting the expectation of the announcement of their latest flagship handset, the Galaxy S25. The Korean electronics giant typically focuses on TVs and consumer electronics at CES events.
The business landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by artificial intelligence technologies that are reshaping how companies approach sales and customer relationships. As we navigate through 2024, AI has evolved from a futuristic concept to an indispensable business tool, offering unprecedented capabilities in lead generation, customer engagement, and sales optimization. This technological revolution is […]
The article discusses the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming sales and customer relationships in the business landscape. AI tools are becoming essential for lead generation, customer engagement, and sales optimization. The article lists the top 25 AI tools that are projected to increase sales in 2025.
Elon Musk’s xAI lands $6B in new cash to fuel AI ambitions
xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, has raised $6 billion, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. Investors gave a minimum of $77,593, per the filing (97 participated, but the document doesn’t reveal their identities). xAI later announced (confirming some earlier reporting) that Andreessen Horowitz , Blackrock, Fidelity, Kingdom Holdings, […]
Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, has secured $6 billion in funding, as reported in a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The investors, totaling 97, each contributed a minimum of $77,593. Notable backers include Andreessen Horowitz, Blackrock, Fidelity, and Kingdom Holdings.
The article discusses Garmin watches, highlighting that the brand is not only focused on fitness but also offers a wide range of lifestyle smartwatches. For more details, you can read the full story on The Verge website.
OpenAI Researchers Propose ‘Deliberative Alignment’: A Training Approach that Teaches LLMs to Explicitly Reason through Safety Specifications before Producing an Answer
The widespread use of large-scale language models (LLMs) in safety-critical areas has brought forward a crucial challenge: how to ensure their adherence to clear ethical and safety guidelines. Existing alignment techniques, such as supervised fine-tuning (SFT) and reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF), have limitations. Models can still produce harmful content when manipulated, refuse legitimate […]
The article discusses a new training approach called “Deliberative Alignment” proposed by OpenAI researchers to address the challenge of ensuring large-scale language models (LLMs) adhere to ethical and safety guidelines in safety-critical areas. Existing alignment techniques like supervised fine-tuning (SFT) and reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) have limitations, as models can still produce harmful content. The new approach aims to teach LLMs to explicitly reason through safety specifications before providing an answer.
NOVA: A Novel Video Autoregressive Model Without Vector Quantization
Autoregressive LLMs are complex neural networks that generate coherent and contextually relevant text through sequential prediction. These LLms excel at handling large datasets and are very strong at translation, summarization, and conversational AI. However, achieving high quality in vision generation often comes at the cost of increased computational demands, especially for higher resolutions or longer […]
The article discusses NOVA, a novel video autoregressive model that does not use vector quantization. Autoregressive LLMs are described as complex neural networks that generate coherent text through sequential prediction. These models excel in handling large datasets and are effective in translation, summarization, and conversational AI. However, achieving high-quality vision generation with these models can lead to increased computational demands, especially for higher resolutions or longer sequences.
X jacks up Premium+ prices 37.5%, hits some markets harder
X is raising prices for its top-tier subscription service by 37.5%, marking the largest price increase since the platform’s acquisition by Elon Musk in 2022. The Premium+ service costs $22 monthly in the U.S., up from $16, effective December 21, according to a company statement. Annual subscription cost has increased to $229 from $168. X […]
X is increasing the price of its Premium+ subscription service by 37.5%, the largest hike since being acquired by Elon Musk in 2022. The monthly cost in the U.S. will now be $22, up from $16, and the annual subscription price has risen to $229 from $168.
All of Canoo’s employees are reportedly on a ‘mandatory unpaid break’
Image: Canoo
Days after furloughing dozens of its employees without pay, EV startup Canoo told the remainder of its staff they will be on a “mandatory unpaid break” through at least the end of the year, TechCrunch reported Friday. A company email seen by the outlet said employees would be locked out of Canoo’s systems by the end of Friday, with their benefits continuing through the end of this month.
The report follows Canoo’s announcement last week that it was idling its Oklahoma factories and furloughing employees while it worked “to finalize securing the capital necessary to move forward with its operations.” As TechCrunch notes, the company reported that it had only about $700,000 left in the bank last month.
Also on Friday, the company announced a 1-for-20 reverse stock split, effective December 24th. Canoo says the consolidation aims to keep its stock listed on the Nasdaq exchange and attract “a broader group of institutional and retail investors.”
Canoo was founded in 2017 to sell electric vans and trucks to adventure-seeking customers but has mostly only ever made vehicles for the US government. As The Verge’s Andrew Hawkins wrote last year, analysts have warned of its risk of insolvency as it’s teetered on the edge of running out of cash since 2022. Canoo has lost a steady stream of executives since then, including all of its founders and, more recently, its CFO and general counsel.
Summary
EV startup Canoo has placed all its employees on a mandatory unpaid break through at least the end of the year. This decision follows the furloughing of some employees and idling of its factories in Oklahoma as the company works on securing necessary capital. Canoo’s financial struggles are highlighted by a reverse stock split and a reported low bank balance. The company, founded in 2017, has faced challenges and executive departures, raising concerns about its financial stability.
Pro-Harris TikTok felt safe in an algorithmic bubble — until election day
In the weeks leading up to the US presidential election, Kacey Smith was feeling hopeful. Smith, who supported Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, says she knew it would be a close race between the Democratic nominee and Republican Donald Trump. But as she scrolled TikTok, she believed Harris would be victorious.
But Election Day approached, and she started to sense red flags in that positivity. She recalls TikTok serving her enthusiasm for reproductive choice with videos encouraging “women’s rights over gas prices” — implying, falsely, she thought, the choice was “either/or.” The rhetoric fit well inside her feed filled with strangers, but as a campaign strategy, it felt limiting and risky. “When I started seeing that messaging play…
The article discusses the experience of Kacey Smith, a supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, as she navigated TikTok in the lead-up to the US presidential election. Initially optimistic about Harris’ chances against Donald Trump, Smith began to notice troubling messages in her TikTok feed that seemed to oversimplify complex issues, such as framing women’s rights as opposed to economic concerns. This raised concerns for her about the effectiveness of the campaign’s messaging strategy and highlighted the limitations of the algorithmic “bubble” created by social media platforms, which can distort perceptions of public sentiment and reality.