Amid the global race for supremacy in artificial intelligence, two more tech companies have joined Google in refusing to work on military and police surveillance projects, a sign of the brewing rift between tech players and the government.
Why it matters: Some experts worry that, to the degree AI-focused companies go their own way, the field may lose the long-term, fundamental focus of government-funded programs that have produced some of the world's most hallowed inventions.
Everything is automated and powered by artificial intelligence — or soon will be — in a new fashion shop opening tomorrow in Hong Kong. From the time you enter, using an app to open an electronically locked sliding glass door, to the time you leave, you may never see another human apart from other shoppers.
The big picture: Last month, I toureda model of the store on Alibaba's Hangzhou campus. Steven Keyang Shi, who leads the Alibaba tech team creating the store, told me that the objective is to merge e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail — to make shoppers see them as one organism.
Tech companies that focus on AI-powered computer vision "are struggling to balance business opportunities with difficult moral decisions that could turn off customers or their own workers," the AP's Matt O'Brien reports.
Why it matters: It’s part of a growing wave of concern about how Artificial Intelligence technology is used, especially involving facial recognition, Axios' Ina Fried emails.
Last week, Axios Business Editor Dan Primack led a roundtable discussion on the future of transportation and mobility, including how new technology will continue to revolutionize how we build, commute and live in Los Angeles and beyond.
One big thing: Guests discussed how to leverage public-private partnerships to deploy accessible, data-driven solutions to our most intractable urban challenges.
Google Cloud's chief operating officer, Diane Bryant, a 25-year veteran of Intel who joined Google last fall, is leaving the company. Google confirmed her departure, which Business Insider first reported.
Automation Anywhere, a 15 year-old robotic process automation company, raised $250 million in Series A funding at a $1.8 billion post-money valuation.
Why it's a big deal: Because the San Jose, Calif.-based company is a test case for the labor force replacement debate, with an outsourced, cognitive bot army that helps global enterprises automate rote tasks like processing insurance claims and mortgage applications.
Lyft finally confirmed Monday that it’s getting in the bike-sharing business by acquiring Motivate, the company behind Ford GoBike in San Francisco and Citi Bike in New York. Axios' Kia Kokalitcheva has a look at the deal, which sources tell Axios came with a $250 million price tag.
Facebook is hiring more engineers in Washington, D.C., as it tackles problems, like countering online extremism and foreign election meddling, that have received attention from policymakers.
Why it matters: The plan to “quintuple” the social network’s D.C. engineering force underscores how the company’s future is more intertwined than ever with decisions made in the nation’s capital.
