The robots are coming for your monthly budget — but for some, that might not be a bad thing.
Zoom in: A clear majority of younger Americans are embracing artificial intelligence as a way to help them achieve their financial goals, according to data released this week by Northwestern Mutual.
Microsoft brought more humility than ever to a highly anticipated congressional hearing Thursday about its recent security failures.
Why it matters: The shifting strategy underscores just how seriously Microsoft is taking the criticism that competitors and government officials have raised against it — and how much trust the company has lost among many of its federal government customers.
Microsoft won't include the controversial Recall feature as part of new Copilot+ PCs that ship next week, the company said late yesterday.
Why it matters: In both Washington and Silicon Valley, Microsoft has faced mounting scrutiny over the feature, which tracks and stores users' screen activity for AI to search. Security and privacy experts warn it could accidentally expose confidential materials, passwords and other sensitive data.
Zoom in: Microsoft is delaying the Recall rollout to test it further with its Windows Insider Program over the "coming weeks," the company said in an updated blog post.
Pope Francis made history Friday as the first pontiff to speak at the Group of Seven meeting in Fasano, Italy, where he discussed his concerns with artificial intelligence.
Why it matters: The pope has long urged caution around AI, calling it "a fascinating tool and also a terrifying one," during his remarks Friday even as he acknowledged its potential applications in medicine, labor, culture, communications, education and politics.
Apple's move deeper into the world of generative AI will test the public's willingness to embrace the company's sanitized style.
The big picture: Microsoft has "no taste," Steve Jobs famously said in 1995 of the company that — back then — had eclipsed Apple in every other way. "They don't bring much culture into their products... Their products have no spirit to them... they are very pedestrian."
Microsoft won't include the controversial Recall feature as part of new CoPilot+ PCs that ship next week, the company said Thursday.
Why it matters: Microsoft has faced mounting scrutiny over the feature in both Washington and Silicon Valley — with security and privacy experts warning it could accidentally expose confidential materials, passwords and other sensitive data.
Microsoft president Brad Smith told lawmakers Thursday that the company's new internal security plans will address problems raised by a whistleblower in a new ProPublica investigation.
Why it matters: The investigation raised serious concerns over whether Microsoft ignored evidence of a critical security vulnerability that Russian hackers exploited years later in the infamous SolarWinds incident.
OpenAI said on Thursday that it is adding former NSA head and retired Gen. Paul Nakasone to its board of directors as well as its newly formed Safety and Security Committee.
Why it matters: OpenAI is looking to convince skeptics that it is taking sufficient steps to ensure its models are safe as it works toward its goal of super intelligence.
General Motors is investing $850 million in Cruise, the robotaxi and self-driving business it bought in 2016.
Why it matters: GM has decided it's pot committed, despite having lost over $8 billion on a business that was forced to stop on-street operations after one of its robotaxis hit a pedestrian last fall in San Francisco.
As my raft wound through the Louisiana bayou, the jazzy serenade of animatronic musical critters almost lulled me into forgetting where this ride was headed.
But soon, there it was: That familiar 50-foot drop — and the splash.
The same generative AI tools that are supercharging the work of both skilled and novice coders can also produce flawed, potentially dangerous code.
Why it matters: Multiple studies have shown that more than half of programmers are using generative AI to write or edit the software that runs our world — and that number keeps rising.
