James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
High Court rejects Wikipedia’s challenge to UK online safety laws
The High Court in the U.K. today dismissed Wikipedia’s challenge to the country’s far-reaching online safety laws, rejecting its claim that the rules were flawed. The Online Safety Bill, or OSA, which the government has vowed will tame the “Wild West” of the internet, has been controversial since it was first proposed. It’s viewed by ...
Lyft is partnering with Baidu to deploy robotaxis in Europe
U.S. ride-hailing firm Lyft Inc. announced today that it’s teaming up with the Chinese tech giant, Baidu, Inc., to deploy driverless taxis across Europe, starting with the U.K. and Germany in 2026. In the U.S. market, Lyft is the second-largest ride-hailing firm behind Uber Technologies Inc., but while the latter has a pervasive presence across ...
Figma stock more than triples from $33 offering price in another blockbuster IPO
Updated with initial trading Thursday: In the latest in a series of blockbuster initial public offerings this year, Figma Inc. Thursday saw its stock price more than triple from its initial offering price before trading was halted. The graphic design software provider had priced its initial public offering at $33 per share today, a buck ...
OpenAI launches ChatGPT study mode to reduce AI misuse at schools and universities
OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, today announced the launch of “study mode” in an effort to cut down on students using the chatbot effectively to remove themselves from many of the processes required for an education. OpenAI says the feature “helps you work through problems step by step instead of just getting an answer.” Accessible ...
Google DeepMind is now using AI to improve understanding of ancient Roman history
Scientists at U.K.-based DeepMind, the Google LLC laboratory that specializes in advanced artificial intelligence, have developed a solution to decipher ancient Roman texts that are often damaged and difficult to interpret. The solution is Aeneas, an AI software model named after a mythical Greek and Roman hero. There are currently a plethora of ancient objects ...
Meta execs settle with board in $8B lawsuit over data harvesting scandal
Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, along with former and current company directors and officers, today reached a settlement in a trial in which shareholders sought $8 billion in damages for losses related to the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal. The trial was only on its second day at Delaware’s Court of Chancery, with Zuckerberg ...
Apple is spending $500 million in government-backed rare minerals program
Apple Inc. will invest $500 million in MP Materials, the only fully integrated rare-earth mining company operating in the U.S., as part of an effort to strengthen the country’s rare-earth supply chain. The rare-earth magnets Apple will purchase from MP Materials are used in many of Apple’s products, such as iPhones and MacBooks. The magnets ...
Pentagon aims to bolster national security with major investments in US AI firms
The U.S. Department of Defense today announced new contracts with top artificial intelligence firms in the U.S. in an effort to streamline AI’s move into military applications. Contracts of up to $200 million will be granted to Google LLC, OpenAI, Anthropic PBC and, perhaps more surprisingly, Elon Musk’s xAI, whose Grok chatbot recently made headlines when ...
After two years as X CEO, Linda Yaccarino is stepping down
Linda Yaccarino, the chief executive of Elon Musk’s X Corp., is leaving the company after what has been two turbulent years for the platform. Musk hired Yaccarino (pictured) the year when he bought the platform and changed the name from Twitter Inc. to X, with the sometimes-mercurial Musk tapping out as chief executive and the ...
Elon Musk’s updated Grok chatbot promoted the Holocaust and praised Adolf Hitler
X Corp. is presently in hot water after its Grok chatbot exploded into an antisemitic rage, praising Adolf Hitler and condemning what it called Jewish-run Hollywood. The remarkable change in output is very likely a result of what its owner, Elon Musk, had last week called a significant improvement to his politically incorrect chatbot after ...