Business
Apple Leaps Into AI With An Array Of Upcoming IPhone Features And A ChatGPT Deal To Smarten Up
CUPERTINO, California – Apple has gotten into the fight to bring generative artificial intelligence to the masses, announcing a plethora of new features for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
And, in a move befitting a firm recognized for its marketing acumen, the AI technology that will be available as free software updates later this year is dubbed “Apple Intelligence.”
Even as it attempted to stamp its mark on technology’s hottest sector, Apple implicitly recognized during its World Wide Developers Conference that it requires assistance catching up with businesses such as Microsoft and Google, who have emerged as early leaders in AI. Apple is using ChatGPT, developed by San Francisco firm OpenAI, to make Siri, its often-bumbling virtual assistant, wiser and more helpful.
“All of this goes beyond artificial intelligence, it’s personal intelligence, and it is the next big step for Apple,” Tim Cook, the company’s CEO, stated.
Apple Leaps Into AI With An Array Of Upcoming IPhone Features And A ChatGPT Deal To Smarten Up
Siri’s optional gateway to ChatGPT will be free for all iPhone users and available on other Apple products once it is included in the next generation of Apple operating systems. ChatGPT members should be able to quickly link their existing accounts with the iPhone and receive more advanced capabilities than free users.
To announce the partnership with Apple, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sat in the front row of the packed conference, attended by developers from over 60 nations.
“Together with Apple, we’re making it easier for people to benefit from what AI can offer,” Altman said in a statement.
Beyond allowing Siri to access ChatGPT’s knowledge base, Apple is overhauling its 13-year-old virtual assistant to make it more friendly and versatile, even though it now handles approximately 1.5 billion daily requests.
When Apple distributes free software updates for the iPhone and other products this fall, Siri will alert users with flashing lights along the borders of the display screen. According to Monday’s presentations, it will be able to undertake hundreds more jobs than it can currently, including chores that may require the use of third-party devices.
Apple’s complete planned capabilities will only work on more recent iPhone, iPad, and Mac models due to the devices’ enhanced CPU requirements. For example, to fully benefit from Apple’s AI bundle, users will need to purchase last year’s iPhone 15 Pro or the next model, which will be released later this year. All of the features will operate on Macs dating back to 2020 after the latest operating system is loaded.
The AI-powered enhancements coming to future versions of Apple software are intended to help the billions of users who use the company’s gadgets get more done in less time while providing access to creative tools that may spice things up. For example, Apple will use AI to allow users to generate emojis, known as “Genmojis,” on the fly to match the mood they want to portray.
According to Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Apple’s goal with AI “is not to replace users, but to empower them.” Users can also turn off any AI tools they do not want by going into their device’s settings.
Monday’s event appeared to be intended to assuage fears that Apple might lose its competitive advantage with the debut of AI, a technology believed to be as transformative as the iPhone’s introduction in 2007. Google and Samsung have already produced smartphone models with AI technologies as their key attractions, while Apple has been experiencing an unusually long sales downturn.
AI craze is the primary reason Nvidia, the dominant maker of the processors that power the technology, has seen its market value skyrocket from $300 billion at the end of 2022 to almost $3 trillion. Nvidia’s remarkable rise allowed it to overtake Apple as the second most valued corporation in the United States. Earlier this year, Microsoft overtook Apple due to its so-far successful drive into artificial intelligence.
Apple Leaps Into AI With An Array Of Upcoming IPhone Features And A ChatGPT Deal To Smarten Up
Investors were less impressed with Apple’s AI presentation than the audience gathered to watch at the company’s Cupertino, California, headquarters. Apple’s stock price fell roughly 2% Monday.
Despite the harsh reaction, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote in a research note that Apple is “taking the right path.” He described the presentation as a “historical” day for a corporation already transforming the digital industry and society.
Aside from showing off its AI capabilities, Apple used the conference to clarify that it will introduce a technology known as Rich Communications Service, or RCS, to its iMessage app. The technology should improve the quality and security of texting between iPhones and smartphones running Android software, such as the Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel.
The move, implemented with the next update of the iPhone’s operating software, will not abolish the blue bubbles that indicate texts sent from iPhones and the green bubbles that indicate texts sent from Android handsets, a distinction that has been a source of social stigma.
Another planned feature of the iPhone’s messaging app will be the ability to create a text (or have an AI tool compose it) ahead of time and schedule it to be sent automatically at a certain time.
Monday’s presentation marked the second consecutive year that Apple has caused a sensation at its developer’s conference by introducing a fashionable technology that other firms had already implemented.
Last year, Apple gave an early glimpse at its mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro, which will be ready in early 2024. Nonetheless, Apple’s foray into mixed reality—with a twist dubbed “spatial computing”—has sparked renewed public interest in this specialized technology.
Part of that optimism originates from Apple’s history of launching technology later than competitors, then employing sleek looks and slick marketing campaigns to compensate for its delayed start.
Apple Leaps Into AI With An Array Of Upcoming IPhone Features And A ChatGPT Deal To Smarten Up
Adding more AI to the iPhone is likely to raise privacy worries, a topic on which Apple has gone to great pains to reassure its dedicated customers that it can be trusted not to pry too deeply into their personal lives. Apple spoke extensively on Monday about its attempts to strengthen privacy safeguards and controls around its AI technologies.
Apple is attempting to persuade customers that the iPhone will not be used to spy on them by leveraging its chip technology so that most of its AI-powered features are handled on the device rather than at remote data centers, commonly referred to as “the cloud.” Going this path would also benefit Apple’s profit margins because AI processing on the cloud is significantly more expensive than doing it simply on a device.
Apple customers will use what the company refers to as a “private cloud” to handle tasks that require more computing power than what is available on the device in order to protect their data.
Apple’s AI “will be aware of your personal data without collecting your personal data,” according to Federighi.
SOURCE – (AP)
Business
Sonic the Hedgehog Dominates Christmas Wish Lists
Sonic the Hedgehog is dominating Christmas wish lists this year. The lovable blue hedgehog is back in the spotlight, from sonic the hedgehog toys and games to sonic the hedgehog coloring pages and movie hype.
Sonic-themed holiday merchandise is on fire, from quirky sweaters to action figures flying off shelves. Sonic the Hedgehog Christmas outfits for kids are selling out fast, making them a go-to gift option for festive fun.
Retailers have been quick to recognize Sonic’s holiday appeal. Special promotions and exclusive items, like the Sonic holiday t-shirts, are everywhere.
Everyone’s stocking up on Sonic merchandise, from big-box stores to boutique retailers.
Online shopping platforms are seeing a surge in searches for Sonic items. Whether it’s Sonic Christmas-themed tops or Sonic the Hedgehog coloring pages, Sonic the Hedgehog toys or Sonic and the Hedgehog 3, the demand is skyrocketing.
Retailers who tap into this trend are sure to see strong holiday sales.
Sonic has been around since the early 90s, but his popularity never wanes. With the release of Sonic 3, fans are more excited than ever.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures is preparing “Sonic the Hedgehog 4,” with the newest addition in the family-friendly genre set for a spring 2027 release.
The announcement comes as “Sonic 3” opens in theatres on Friday, estimated to gross $55 million to $60 million from 3,800 North American locations.
The sequel is shaping up to be a good holiday season blockbuster for Paramount, which explains the desire in future “Sonic” adventures. On the international front, the film will be released on Christmas Day in 52 markets.
On Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave “Sonic 3” an outstanding 87% fresh score.
The first two films grossed a total of $725.2 million at the global box office and generated over $180 million in global consumer expenditure through home entertainment rentals and digital purchases.
They also inspired a spinoff Paramount+ series, “Knuckles,” which premiered earlier this year.
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Business
Amazon Strike Called By Teamsters Union 10,000 Walkout
An Amazon strike has hit facilities in the United States in an effort by the Teamsters union to pressure the corporation for a labour agreement during a peak shopping season.
The Teamsters union told the Associated Press that Amazon delivery drivers at seven facilities in the United States walked off the job on Thursday after the firm failed to discuss a labour contract.
According to the union, Amazon employees in Teamsters union jackets were protesting at “hundreds” of additional Amazon facilities, which the union billed as the “largest strike” in US history involving the company.
The corporation, which employs over 800,000 people in its US delivery network, stated that its services will be unaffected.
It was unclear how many people, including members of Germany’s United Services Union, participated in Thursday’s demonstration. The Teamsters union reported that thousands of Amazon employees were implicated in the United States.
Amazon Strike at 10 Locations
Overall, the group claims to represent “nearly 10,000” Amazon strikers, having signed up thousands of people at roughly ten locations across the country, many of whom have joined in recent months.
The organization has claimed recognition from Amazon going on strike, claiming the firm illegally neglected its obligation to bargain collectively over salary and working conditions.
The Teamsters is a long-standing US union with nearly one million members. It is well-known for securing lucrative contracts for its members at companies like delivery behemoth UPS.
Most of the Teamsters’ Amazon campaigns have concerned drivers working for third-party delivery companies that partner with the tech behemoth.
Amazon denies that it is liable as an employer in those circumstances, which is a point of legal contention. In at least one case, labour officials have taken a preliminary stance in favour of the union.
Stalled Contract Negotiations
Amazon employees at a major warehouse on Staten Island in New York have also chosen to join the Teamsters. Their warehouse is the only Amazon facility in the United States where labour officials have formally recognized a union win.
However, the Amazon strike is because contract negotiations have not progressed since the 2022 vote. It was not one of the areas scheduled to go on strike on Thursday.
Amazon, one of the largest employers in the United States, has long received criticism for its working conditions and has been the target of activists seeking to gain traction among its employees.
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Business
Amazon Encounters Numerous Strikes As Unions Aim At The Holiday Shopping Surge.
(VOR News) – Thousands of Amazon employees at various sites across the country were scheduled to go on strike on Thursday in an effort by the Teamsters union to pressure the retail behemoth to acknowledge its unionised workers in the United States.
The walkout is expected to concentrate on seven Amazon locations across the country during the holiday purchasing surge and may be the most significant union action against Amazon in the nation’s history.
The business announced on Thursday morning that there had been no effect on operations. It also stated that it is “continuing to concentrate on fulfilling customers’ holiday orders.”
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters maintains that it represents more than 10,000 Amazon employees and contractors in aviation centres, warehouses, and delivery centres.
Amazon has refused to acknowledge the union for many years.
The retail giant, which employs approximately 1.5 million individuals, excludes contractors and part-timers. A strike has been initiated by delivery couriers and warehouse employees at seven distinct locations in order to exert pressure on the company to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement that would encompass modifications to compensation, amenities, and working conditions.
Picketing was intended for New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Skokie, Illinois.
Also, the Teamsters assert that they are establishing picket lines at “hundreds” of additional warehouses and delivery centres by encouraging non-unionized workers to picket under U.S. labour law, which protects workers’ ability to take collective action to further their interests.
“Amazon workers are exercising their power,” Randy Korgan stated to NPR.
“They now realise there is a pathway to take on a corporate giant like this – and that they hold the power.” Amazon responds by accusing the Teamsters of fabricating information regarding the strikes, asserting that the participants are “entirely” outsiders rather than employees or subcontractors of the corporation.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel stated that “the reality is that they were unable to secure sufficient support from our employees and partners and have invited external parties to harass and intimidate our team.” For more than a year, the Teamsters have been intentionally misleading the public by claiming to represent “thousands of employees and drivers.” They do not.
The Teamsters did not provide a specific duration for the strike; however, they informed NPR that it would extend beyond one day. Workers would receive $1,000 per week in strike money, as per the union.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien issued a statement in which he stated, “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can attribute it to Amazon’s insatiable greed.” We established a firm deadline for Amazon to attend the meeting and treat our members equitably. They disregarded it.
The Teamsters granted until December 15 to convene with its unionised employees and develop a collective bargaining agreement.
Amazon has opposed all unionisation efforts in court, asserting that unions were not advantageous to its employees and emphasising the compensation and benefits that the organisation currently provides.
Amazon has been accused of discriminatory labour practices on numerous occasions, including the termination of labour organisers. Furthermore, it has disputed its official status as a contract employer.
Teamsters organize Amazon delivery couriers and other employees.
In June, Amazon established its first unionised warehouse in Staten Island, New York, two years after making history by voting to join the fledgling Amazon Labour Union, which is also affiliated with the Teamsters.
The union is one of the most influential in the United States and Canada, with 1.3 million members. On Thursday, the German United Services Union declared that Amazon employees in Germany would participate in a strike in conjunction with their American counterparts.
In the past, Amazon has experienced demonstrations in Germany and Spain that were related to the holiday season in order to advocate for improved wages and working conditions.
“The holiday season has arrived.” Delivery is anticipated. Patricia Campos-Medina, the executive director of Cornell University’s Worker Institute, asserts that “this is the moment in which workers have control over the supply chain.”
The Teamsters have reported that Amazon’s profits have increased both during and after the pandemic. The corporation is currently valued at over $2.3 trillion, with net income of $15 billion in the most recent quarter alone. It is the second-largest private employer in the United States, following Walmart.
SOURCE: NPR
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