Technology

Italy parents’ group faces Meta, TikTok in Milan court over minors’ social media use

ROME, May 14 (Reuters) - An ⁠Italian parents' group and a number of families faced off against Meta and TikTok ⁠on Thursday in the first hearing of a lawsuit that seeks to restrict minors' ‌access to social media platforms.

Technology

Anthropic, Gates Foundation launch $200 million partnership for AI in health, education

SAN FRANCISCO, May ⁠14 (Reuters) - Anthropic and the Gates Foundation have pledged $200 million to back artificial ⁠intelligence-related public goods and areas including health and education, they said on ‌Thursday.

Technology

Elon Musk's court battle against OpenAI enters homestretch

OAKLAND, California, May 14 (Reuters) - ⁠A trial that may shape the future of OpenAI enters its final stages on Thursday, as lawyers for Elon Musk try to convince a ⁠jury to hold the ChatGPT maker's leaders responsible for transforming the nonprofit into a vehicle to enrich themselves.

Technology

Versant beats revenue estimates on licensing deals, digital platform growth

May 14 (Reuters) - ⁠Versant Media topped Wall Street estimates for first-quarter revenue on ⁠Thursday, as content licensing deals and strong sales at businesses like ‌Fandango helped cushion the impact of pay-TV cord-cutting.

Technology

US wireless carriers to launch joint venture to address rural 'dead zones'

WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) - Verizon, ⁠AT&T and T-Mobile said on Thursday that they agreed in principle to form a new ⁠joint venture that seeks to address long-time coverage gaps especially in rural areas by ‌using satellite-based technologies.

Technology

Bank of Spain calls for access to advanced AI tools, flags cyber risks

MADRID, May 14 (Reuters) - The ⁠Bank of Spain on Thursday called for stronger ⁠international cooperation and wider access to protective artificial ‌intelligence models such as Anthropic's Glasswing to ward off cybersecurity risks stemming from the potential misuse of advanced vulnerability-spotting engines.

Smartphones

Vivo X300 Ultra starts at RM6,799, features dual 200-megapixel Zeiss cameras

Vivo today (May 14) launched its latest additions to the X300 smartphone lineup, with the top-of-the-line X300 Ultra and more budget-friendly X300 FE.

Technology

Britain investigates Microsoft over business software dominance

LONDON, May 14 (Reuters) - ⁠Britain will investigate Microsoft's dominance in business software using its powers ⁠to oversee big tech, its antitrust regulator said on Thursday, which could ‌lead to targeted interventions to encourage competition.

Technology

JPMorgan's bet on early-stage companies pays off in leading global tech investment banking

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Technology

Gobind: Concerns on development of data centres must be acknowledged

Gobind said conversations surrounding the development of data centres in Malaysia must be acknowledged.

Technology

Big Tech turns to Sesame Street, Girl Scouts to deflect scrutiny over kids' screen time

WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) - Meta and Google enlisted trusted children's brands such as Sesame Street, Girl ⁠Scouts and Highlights magazine to teach kids to use technology in moderation - even as the companies designed apps that made it difficult for those same young users to unplug, public statements and internal documents show.

Robotics

Robots kill off production of flagship Tesla electric cars

Tesla has officially ended production of its game-changing Model S saloon and the gull-wing Model X SUV to make way for Optimus humanoid robots and autonomous driving technology.

Technology

Streaming, toilet paper, underwear: Subscription fatigue is setting in

As companies look to build cash flow and loyalty, everything from heated car seats to earthworm deliveries can become a recurring charge on your credit card.

Internet

UK fines online suicide forum linked to 130 deaths

Britain's media regulator on Wednesday slapped the US-based host of an online forum blamed for 130 deaths in the UK with a £950,000 fine (US$1.3mil/RM5.1mil) for "content encouraging and assisting suicide".

AI

Amazon puts Alexa inside the shopping search bar in AI push

Artificial intelligence algorithms are coming to some of the most valuable real estate in retail: the Amazon.com Inc search bar.

Robotics

Japan 'robot wolves' in high demand to scare off bears

A Japanese company making ferocious-looking robot wolves is being swamped by orders after record numbers of fatal bear attacks on humans last year.

Technology

OpenAI says no user data breached after security issue with open-source library

May 14 (Reuters) - OpenAI ⁠said on Wednesday it found ⁠no evidence that its user data ‌was accessed after a security issue involving a supply-chain attack on TanStack npm, an open-source library. 

Gadgets

Acer Malaysia launches new gaming lineup, including the Predator Helios Neo 16 laptop priced from RM7,299

Acer Malaysia has officially launched a new gaming lineup, including the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop, for the Malaysian market.

Technology

LY, Bain sweeten bid to value Japan's Kakaku at $4 billion, topping EQT offer

TOKYO, May 14 (Reuters) - SoftBank's LY Corp ⁠said on Thursday it and Bain Capital have lifted their bid for Kakaku.com, valuing ⁠the price comparison website operator at $4 billion and above a rival offer from ‌Swedish investment firm EQT.

Internet

After months of blackout, Iran gives Internet to select few

After months under a near-total Internet blackout during the Middle East war, Iranian tech worker Amir-Hassan was finally able to get back online, but only through a privileged service that has sparked public criticism.