Victoria Fox's Blog, page 125

Autonomous driving: Google sister company allowed to expand robotaxi service in California

Google sister company Waymo is allowed to expand its robotaxi service from San Francisco to Silicon Valley and parts of Los Angeles. A California regulator (PDF) approved commercial travel in a large area south of San Francisco to Sunnyvale, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) away, which includes the San Francisco airport and Google headquarters in Mountain View.

Previously, Waymo was allowed to transport passengers in self-driving cars without people behind the wheel in the San Francisco metropolitan area. Waymo recently has around 250 cars in use there, all converted electric cars from Jaguar.

However, Waymo has so far stated that there are currently no plans to immediately expand the range of use of the vehicles.

Accidents and mishaps

There is resistance to self-driving cars in the San Francisco region: authorities and residents complain that the vehicles hinder traffic and are not safe enough. For example, emergency services complain that robotaxis have sometimes stopped in the middle of the road and blocked their path. Transit companies in San Francisco also reported similar problems for their buses.

A few weeks ago, a Waymo car (PDF) was set on fire by vandals during Chinese New Year celebrations and was completely burned out.

General Motors’ competitor Cruise has to forego a similar permit for trips in San Francisco as Waymo has for the time being – it was withdrawn after an accident in October. At that time, a woman was hit by another car with a person behind the wheel and thrown in front of the cruise vehicle. She got stuck under the robotaxi and was dragged by it for several meters.

General Motors replaced management at Cruise after the accident. The robotaxi service is now only to be started again in one city. Plans for a cruise vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals were abandoned.

Google sister company Waymo is allowed to expand its robotaxi service from San Francisco to Silicon Valley and parts of Los Angeles. A California regulator (PDF) approved commercial travel in a large area south of San Francisco to Sunnyvale, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) away, which includes the San Francisco airport and Google headquarters in Mountain View.

Previously, Waymo was allowed to transport passengers in self-driving cars without people behind the wheel in the San Francisco metropolitan area. Waymo recently has around 250 cars in use there, all converted electric cars from Jaguar.

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Twitter successor: Netzagentur expects a long legal dispute with X

The Federal Network Agency expects a long legal dispute in the conflict with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk ‘s Platform X. Since Musk took over, X has not paid enough attention to hate speech. “We expect that the matter will end up in court and that it may have to be fought all the way to the European Court of Justice,” said authority President Klaus Müller to Spiegel . “We believe that X is acting unlawfully.” This will be documented and demonstrated – and the responsible EU Commissioner, Thierry Breton, will hopefully set an example.

The dispute is about disinformation . The Foreign Office uncovered a pro-Russian campaign on X in January. 50,000 fake user accounts in German tried to stir up discontent against the federal government and undermine support for Ukraine, according to an analysis by ministry experts. Müller said that the network agency is currently preparing this information in a court-proof manner and sending it to Brussels, where the EU Commission will take care of it.

EU Commission proceedings opened in December

The EU Commission is responsible for supervising large online platforms such as X, and national authorities such as the Netzagentur can support them in this.

The EU Commission had already opened formal proceedings against X in December. The Commission announced that the authority had initiated investigations under the Digital Services Act due to, among other things, the “dissemination of illegal content”. The authority has already made a request for information – but the company is said to have not responded satisfactorily. According to its own statements, the commission also wanted to check whether the so-called blue ticks on the platform could have a “deceptive” effect.

The Federal Network Agency expects a long legal dispute in the conflict with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk ‘s Platform X. Since Musk took over, X has not paid enough attention to hate speech. “We expect that the matter will end up in court and that it may have to be fought all the way to the European Court of Justice,” said authority President Klaus Müller to Spiegel . “We believe that X is acting unlawfully.” This will be documented and demonstrated – and the responsible EU Commissioner, Thierry Breton, will hopefully set an example.

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5G network: Majority of mobile phone customers do not use 5G

Although 5G is now available in most areas of Germany, the use of the fast and stable mobile communications standard is only increasing moderately. In a survey commissioned by the comparison portal Verivox in February, 45.1 percent of respondents said they had already used 5G. In the same survey a year earlier it was 40.1 percent. During the same period, coverage increased significantly.

Mobile operators are pushing ahead with their network expansion; 5G mobile phone connections are now available in well over 90 percent of Germany.

The current survey shows that interest in 5G is greater the younger the users are: According to the information, the 5G usage rate in the 18 to 29 age group was recently 58.7 percent. Among those over 70, only 27.4 percent.

Older smartphones, more expensive tariffs

One reason for the rather small increase in demand is probably that older smartphones are not compatible. 5G network use will remain “far below its potential” in 2024, said Verivox telecommunications expert Jörg Schamberg. “If you want to surf over 5G, you need a corresponding smartphone and a 5G-compatible tariff. Both components are often comparatively expensive.”

The three established network operators Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica (O2) and Vodafone have now automatically included 5G in the tariff for their core brands, but it often costs an extra charge for secondary brands such as Congstar and discounters.

Limited speed outside core brands

However, the download speed is reduced for these separate 5G offers outside the core brands, for example to 50 megabits per second for Congstar. The speed limit undermines a key advantage of the radio standard – up to 1,000 megabits per second are actually technically possible. However, this is less realistic, as the speed depends on various factors, including the number of users in a radio cell. Vodafone, for example, advertises a transfer speed of up to 300 megabits per second.

The survey by market research company Innofact on behalf of Verivox was conducted online in February and said 1,028 people aged 18 to 79 were surveyed. The question was: “Have you used this 5G network before?” According to the information, the survey was representative of the German population in terms of age, gender and federal state affiliation.

Although 5G is now available in most areas of Germany, the use of the fast and stable mobile communications standard is only increasing moderately. In a survey commissioned by the comparison portal Verivox in February, 45.1 percent of respondents said they had already used 5G. In the same survey a year earlier it was 40.1 percent. During the same period, coverage increased significantly.

Mobile operators are pushing ahead with their network expansion; 5G mobile phone connections are now available in well over 90 percent of Germany.

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Lawsuit against OpenAI: Elon Musk's declaration of war

Elon Musk is looking for a dispute with OpenAI, the organization behind the chatbot ChatGPT. In a 35-page indictment, the ex-OpenAI supporter accuses the world’s currently most important AI company of “flagrant violations” of the original founding agreement.

Musk is selling the lawsuit as altruistic – it may also be about his business interests.

To understand the feud, one must look back at OpenAI’s history: The organization was founded in December 2015 as an artificial intelligence research laboratory with the goal of developing the technology to benefit all of humanity. Part of this strategy: OpenAI was built as an open-source non-profit organization, so it should not be commercial.

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Álvarez-Pallete met with STC in Madrid

The president of Telefónica, José María Álvarez-Pallete, met yesterday Thursday in Madrid with the CEO of the Saudi operator STC, Olayan Alwetaid, to address the challenges of the Saudi telecom’s landing in the shareholding of the Spanish firm, as confirmed to Europa Press sources familiar with the meeting.

In that sense, the meeting took place within the framework of the presence in Spain of STC’s ‘first sword’ on the occasion of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) that took place in Barcelona this week, a fair in which Álvarez-Pallete and Alwetaid also They have coincided because both directors are part of the board of directors of GSMA – the global association of the mobile industry -, the organizing entity of the event.

In this context, it is presumed that Álvarez-Pallete and Alwetaid have addressed in Madrid the pending issues related to STC’s entry into Telefónica, such as the formal communication that the Saudi company must make to the Spanish Government to cash in on the 5% it owns through financial derivatives.

It is also foreseeable that they have spoken about whether or not the Saudi telecom’s intention is to enter the board of directors of Telefónica, about the industrial and stable nature of STC’s participation in the Spanish company and the State’s intention to enter. in the capital of Telefónica through the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI) in response to the arrival of STC.

Telefónica sources have avoided commenting on the matter.

Entrance

Since last September, STC has held a direct stake of 4.9% in Telefónica, but within a year it plans to obtain authorization from the Government to cash in on the additional 5% that it currently holds in financial derivatives, as the company explains in its annual results report, in which it also indicates that it has already received its first dividends for its participation in the Spanish operator, specifically, 167 million Saudi riyals (about 41.2 million euros).

The regulations in force in Spain regarding foreign investments in strategic listed companies establish that non-EU investors who intend to acquire more than 10% of a company of this type must request permission from the Executive.

However, this threshold is lowered to 5% in the case of companies with interests in the field of national defense, such as Telefónica.

In this context, the Saudi company plans to obtain the necessary regulatory permits to make that other 5% effective within a year.

Despite this, it is unknown if STC has already formally conveyed its intentions in Telefónica to the Government, such as whether it will request a seat on the company’s board of directors or not.

However, at the time of its arrival, STC stated that it came to the company with the aim of becoming a stable industrial partner .

In response to STC’s entry into Telefónica, the Executive ordered the State Industrial Participation Company (SEPI) – dependent on the Ministry of Finance – in mid-December to acquire up to 10% of the operator’s share capital.

In this sense, SEPI is finalizing the stock brokerage contract to proceed with the Government’s entry into Telefónica in a process in which both national and foreign financial entities are being surveyed.

This contract is “about to be awarded”, according to market sources told Europa Press, who also pointed out that although foreign banks appear on the shortlist, it would be Spanish financial entities such as BBVA and CaixaBank that would be best positioned to execute. finally the stock market intermediation of the operation.

In this sense, it is worth remembering that both BBVA and Caixabank are part of the so-called ‘stable core’ of Telefónica’s shareholders.

On the other hand, the sources consulted by Europa Press also revealed that SEPI had already awarded the advisory contract to carry out the Government’s landing in Telefónica, although the name of the financial entity that will carry it out has not been revealed.

This same week, the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Service, José Luis Escrivá, announced the creation of the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), a new public company that has been colloquially baptized as ‘SEPI Digital’ and with which it is expected that the Government will manage the participation of SEPI in Telefónica.

This new public entity will mobilize around 20,000 million euros from Perte Chip, NexTech funds and the Audiovisual Hub.

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Dell soars on the stock market by 25% thanks to its AI servers

Dell Technologies, manufacturer of personal computers and computer servers among other equipment, soars more than 25% on Wall Street after beating earnings forecasts thanks to strong demand for equipment to meet the growing demand created by generative artificial intelligence (AI) .

The American company, founded and directed by Michael Dell, known for its traditional personal computer (PC) business, has attracted the attention of investors because its high-capacity computer servers are increasingly in demand to manage intelligence -related tasks. generative artificial (AI).

Late Thursday, Dell reported fourth-quarter results , which beat estimates thanks to increased demand for AI-related equipment. Dell’s infrastructure subsidiary , which includes the server business, had a turnover of 9,330 million dollars (8,617 million euros) in the quarter and exceeded market estimates , although it fell 6% compared to the same period in 2022 due to the entry of orders from previous quarters.

The rise of generative AI , which has spurred groups such as the chip manufacturer Nvdia onto the stock market and attracted the interest of all the big technology companies, has allowed Dell to triple its capitalization in the last twelve months , to around $85 billion.

Results

In the fiscal fourth quarter , Dell earned $1,160 million (€1,070 million), 89% more , despite the 11% decline in revenue, to $22,318 million.

For the entire year , which ended on February 2, the American company obtained a net profit of 3,211 million dollars (2,965 million euros), 31.5% more . Net income fell 13.6% , to $88,425 million .

The short and medium-term forecasts are encouraging for the company because the AI phenomenon is unstoppable. “We have only just begun to realize the opportunities that AI offers us, and we believe that Dell is uniquely positioned with our broad portfolio to help customers produce generative AI solutions that meet performance, cost and security requirements,” he said . Dell COO Jeff Clarke.

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Facebook parent company: Meta stops cooperation with media in Australia

Facebook owner Meta does not want to extend its multi-million dollar contracts with several major news companies in Australia in the future. At the beginning of 2021, the US group agreed on payments for journalistic content with, among others, the Australian ABC, News Corp , the Australian Guardian and Nine Entertainment. The deals came about a few weeks after the passage of a media law in Australia.

This obliges Google and Facebook to pay traditional media companies when they distribute their content. The Australian government wanted to ensure that advertising revenue was distributed more fairly. Meta already criticized the new regulation back then. According to the agreements with the media involved, the group had to pay millions to them – but the contracts expire in a few weeks.

Australia’s government criticizes meta-decision

A statement from Facebook now states that users do not use the platform for news and political content and that the company wants to invest its money differently. “This is part of our ongoing effort to better align our investments with our products and services that people value most,” the company wrote.

The Australian government criticized the announcement. Australian news publishers deserve fair compensation for the content they provide, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has said. She will ask the Treasury and the competition regulator for advice on next steps. ABC reported that the government could force Facebook to enter into arbitration with media companies to determine compensation for news content.

Facebook owner Meta does not want to extend its multi-million dollar contracts with several major news companies in Australia in the future. At the beginning of 2021, the US group agreed on payments for journalistic content with, among others, the Australian ABC, News Corp , the Australian Guardian and Nine Entertainment. The deals came about a few weeks after the passage of a media law in Australia.

This obliges Google and Facebook to pay traditional media companies when they distribute their content. The Australian government wanted to ensure that advertising revenue was distributed more fairly. Meta already criticized the new regulation back then. According to the agreements with the media involved, the group had to pay millions to them – but the contracts expire in a few weeks.

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Media consumption among children: Is it really that bad?

Almost every fourth child in Germany uses social media in a risky way, social media addiction among children and young people has doubled since the pandemic: A survey commissioned by DAK-Gesundheit (PDF) seems to confirm a social feeling – namely that evil technology companies lure our offspring into their digital caves and the children no longer find out that constantly hanging out on social media makes them antisocial, inattentive and unhappy. That would actually be alarming. But: Is that actually true across the board?

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Digital Services Act: EU Commission initiates proceedings against TikTok

According to a report, the EU has initiated proceedings against Tiktok. This is reported by Spiegel , citing correspondence between EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton and FDP MEP Moritz Körner. Breton wrote that the Commission had found “concrete and reliable evidence” that the Chinese platform violated the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission therefore “initiated formal infringement proceedings” on February 19, Spiegel quoted the Commissioner as saying.

The FDP politician had previously drawn the commission’s attention to a US study that came to the conclusion that TikTok probably “systematically promotes or demotes content depending on whether it corresponds to the interests of the Chinese government,” as Körner wrote. The letter and the study “received our full attention,” Breton said in a response.

The company faces punishment if the commission’s investigation confirms its suspicions. Under the DSA, it can impose a fine of up to six percent of global annual turnover. It could also temporarily ban TikTok in the EU.

“TikTok is a propaganda machine,” Körner told Spiegel . It can only survive in the EU “if it is ensured that pro-Western content is not suppressed in the interests of China.”

According to a report, the EU has initiated proceedings against Tiktok. This is reported by Spiegel , citing correspondence between EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton and FDP MEP Moritz Körner. Breton wrote that the Commission had found “concrete and reliable evidence” that the Chinese platform violated the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission therefore “initiated formal infringement proceedings” on February 19, Spiegel quoted the Commissioner as saying.

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OpenAI: Elon Musk sues OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman

Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against the company OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman . According to the lawsuit, he accuses them of violating contracts that were made when the company was founded in 2015.

Accordingly, Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman are said to have originally approached Musk to found a non-profit, open source company that would develop artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for the “benefit of humanity”. However, the company is now designed for profit, which constitutes a breach of contract.

Musk is one of the company’s founders. He left in 2018.

The New York Times also complained

OpenAI was originally founded as a non-profit organization, but now raises billions in investor money. One of the largest investors is Microsoft. ChatGPT, developed by the company, became one of the fastest-growing software programs in the world at the end of 2022 – attracting investors such as Microsoft.

The New York Times also filed a lawsuit against OpenAI last year. The newspaper accuses the company of violating copyrights. OpenAI is said to have used the data from several million articles in the paper to feed its ChatGPT and build a business, the lawyers wrote in the indictment.

Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against the company OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman . According to the lawsuit, he accuses them of violating contracts that were made when the company was founded in 2015.

Accordingly, Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman are said to have originally approached Musk to found a non-profit, open source company that would develop artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for the “benefit of humanity”. However, the company is now designed for profit, which constitutes a breach of contract.

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