What's New In the Consumer Tech World Last Week? News That You Should Know (June 9-June 15, 2024)
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban thinks that efforts by the U.S. government and investors in proprietary large-language models to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) will end up giving the lead in this critical field to Chinese companies.
A series of data breaches at a $20 billion internet company co-owned by Japan’s SoftBank Corp (OTC:SFTBY) and South Korea’s Naver (OTC:NHNCF) is causing diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Read: FromSoftware’s Miyazaki Admits ‘Room For Improvement’ If Players Rely On Guides In Elden Ring
The launch of a new gossip app, Fizz, at a Vermont high school has reportedly led to widespread bullying and controversy, reigniting concerns about the impact of social media on teen mental health.
Vrio Corporation, the parent company of DIRECTV Latin America and Sky Brasil, has partnered with Amazon.com, Inc’s. (NASDAQ:AMZN) Project Kuiper to offer satellite broadband in seven South American countries.
Gaming
Microsoft Corp’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) revealed during Xbox Games Showcase and the Call of Duty Direct event that “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” will require a constant internet connection for all game modes on consoles, marking a first for the series.
Related: Activision Confirms Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Won’t Require Massive 300 GB Download
Electronic Arts Inc’s (NASDAQ:EA) EA Sports unveiled San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 25.
Read: Resident Evil Village Hits 10M Sales: Fastest-Selling Game In Series History
Smartphones
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced the first major update to visionOS at the WWDC 2024, bringing some important usability improvements to Apple Vision Pro users. Among these changes are memories, immersive experiences and productivity improvements.
Apple announced its new artificial intelligence initiative, Apple Intelligence, at the WWDC 2024. Also, the company highlighted new features for iPads and iPhones and a deeper push to integrate artificial intelligence on products.
Apple kicked off the iOS 18 update with some important quality-of-life improvements, including customization, smarter email organization, a better messaging experience and more.
Apple revealed that it is partnering with Microsoft-backed OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS 15 Sequoia.
Apple’s Tim Cook has expressed uncertainty about the company’s ability to completely prevent AI hallucinations.
CEO Tim Cook said that the company’s objective is not to increase device usage but to enable users to achieve things they couldn’t without their devices, after unveiling Apple Intelligence earlier this week.
Apple has revealed its plans to integrate Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google Gemini AI model into its Apple Intelligence feature set.
Apple has rejected the submission of UTM, a generic PC system emulator, from the iOS App Store and third-party app stores, despite the European Union’s recent efforts to loosen its control using the Digital Markets Act, or DMA.
Tech
The Turkish Competition Board has fined Google approximately $14.85 million (482 million Turkish Lira) for non-compliance with local competition regulations.
Alphabet has been hit with a privacy complaint by Austrian advocacy group NOYB. The complaint alleges that Google tracks users of its Chrome browser without proper consent.
The new head of search of Google, Liz Reid, has conveyed that the company will not always be able to detect errors in AI searches. This statement was made at a recent all-hands meeting.
Dexcom Inc. (NASDAQ:DXCM), a leading glucose monitor manufacturer, has enabled direct Apple’s AAPL Watch connectivity for its G7 model in the United States.
Samsung Electronics Co. (OTC:SSNLF) has reportedly combined its two North American AI research centers and appointed a former Apple Inc. AAPL executive to head the newly formed division.
The chairman of Samsung Electronics, Jay Y. Lee, has been in discussions with the heads of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Amazon.com and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM). The discussions revolved around potential areas of cooperation, including artificial intelligence, cloud services and semiconductors.
Meta Platforms has been hit with a complaint in Norway for using user images and posts from Facebook and Instagram to train AI models.
Elon Musk
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Sunday put an end to the speculation about a potential Tesla smartphone.
Presumptive Republican candidate Donald Trump’s niece Mary Trump has once again criticized Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for allegedly destroying Twitter, now rebranded as X.
Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, is set to roll out a new feature that will allow users to keep their likes private. This move is aimed at protecting users from potential backlash for their online activity.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Elon Musk withdrew his lawsuit against OpenAI and its co-founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. His decision came a day after he went on a tirade and criticized Apple for partnering with the ChatGPT parent.
Apple’s Craig Federighi has revealed that users will be able to opt out of the integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a move that could alleviate mounting concerns about AI privacy.
OpenAI’s Mira Murati responded to Elon Musk’s criticism of the company’s partnership with Apple’s emphasizing OpenAI’s commitment to user privacy.
Photo: Shutterstock
