Mar 1, 2017

Samsung's bill to take on Apple's Siri topped $200 million

Samsung spent 238.9 billion Korean Won ($209 million) for last year's acquisition of Viv Labs, a 30-person voice AI startup from the creators of Apple's Siri. The figure was confirmed in a regulatory filing this week.

Viv's technology, or at least a version of it, is expected to show up in the Galaxy S8, due to be unveiled in New York next month.

Why it matters: While it relies on Google for the Android OS, Samsung isn't willing to defer to the search giant when it comes to the increasingly high stakes area of an AI-powered assistant.

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Axios

18 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Remembering George Floyd

Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

With politicians, clergy and law enforcement in attendance on Thursday in Minneapolis, the family of George Floyd demanded recognition for his life well lived.

Why it matters: Floyd has become the latest symbol of police brutality after he was killed last week when a police officer held a knee to his neck.

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Fadel Allassan

1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Al Sharpton says Floyd family will lead march on Washington in August

The family of George Floyd is teaming up with the Rev. Al Sharpton to hold a march on Washington on Aug. 28 — the 57th anniversary of the civil rights movement's March on Washington — to call for a federal policing equality act, Sharpton announced during a eulogy at Floyd's memorial service in Minneapolis Thursday.

Why it matters: The news comes amid growing momentum for calls to address systemic racism in policing and other facets of society, after more than a week of protests and social unrest following the killing of Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

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Ursula Perano

2 hours ago - Health

Medical journal retracts study that fueled hydroxychloroquine concerns

Photo: George Frey/AFP via Getty Images

The Lancet medical journal retracted a study on Thursday that found that coronavirus patients who took hydroxychloroquine had a higher mortality rate and increased heart problem than those who did nothing, stating that the authors were "unable to complete an independent audit of the data underpinning their analysis."

Why it matters: The results of the study, which claimed to have analyzed data from nearly 96,000 patients on six continents, led several governments to ban the use of the anti-malarial drug for coronavirus patients due to safety concerns.

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