Outgoing Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney has some searing criticism for the video game industry, but he doesn't want people to think he's being overly negative. It's helpful, he tells Axios, "to be really clear about the things that get in your way."
Why it matters: Mahoney, certainly proud of his own company, nevertheless believes the big-budget gaming business is falling behind on innovation and losing its way.
Swedish game studio Embark is bucking industry trends around ongoing, live-service games and is not releasing a content road map for The Finals, its popular, new multiplayer first-person shooter.
Why it matters: Much of the games industry has been chasing live-service glory in recent years, seeking the dream of continuously updated games that continuously generate revenue. But developers have often found it tough to stick to their initial plans.
OpenAI on Monday launched what it hopes will form a more scientific approach to assessing catastrophic risks posed by the most advanced AI models.
Why it matters: While there has been a great deal of hand-wringing and fear about the potential for life-threatening risks, there has been far less discussion of just how to prevent such harms from emerging.
Apple is pausing U.S. sales of its Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, with online purchases stopping Dec. 21 and in-person retail sales ending Dec. 24, in response to a U.S. International Trade Commission ruling.
Why it matters: Stopping sales of new products in the middle of the holiday season is the latest in a series of blows to Apple's revenue in 2023.
Autonomous driving startup May Mobility is launching its first fully driverless service on public roads in Sun City, Arizona, a retirement community northwest of Phoenix.
Why it matters: It's an important milestone for the Toyota-backed startup, coming just two months after a larger rival, General Motors-owned Cruise, suspended operations nationwide after a high-profile pedestrian accident.
Negotiations around the EU's AI Act are getting longer and more complicated.
Why it matters: Governments and tech companies around the world have been waiting for months for the final text of the world's first comprehensive and democratic AI regulation need to wait a bit longer.
A middle road on the adoption of AI is taking shape, routing around the debate between those who fear humanity could lose control of AI and those who favor a full-speed-ahead plan to seize the technology's benefits.
Why it matters: The American people consistently tell pollsters they are more concerned about how AI will affect their jobs and day-to-day lives than about its long-term risks and rewards.
Initial public offerings weren't expected to return in full force until 2024. But the relatively modest trickling back was halted with the unexpected outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October.
Why it matters: Companies are anxious to hit the market — and investors (and their backers) are anxious to cash out.
