Sci-Tech

Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket successfully completes hot-fire test

The European Space Agency’s Ariane 6 rocket successfully completed a dress rehearsal on Thursday, test-firing its engine in preparation for a maiden voyage scheduled for 2024. The final results of the ignition test, which involved firing up the Vulcain 2.1 engine and running it for more than seven minutes, will not be released until November 30, pending a full analysis. But manufacturer ArianeGroup already called the rehearsal “successfully completed”. The hot-fire test at Europe’s Spaceport […]

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Sam Altman to return as OpenAI CEO after shock ouster

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 22, 2023 (AFP) – ChatGPT creator OpenAI announced Tuesday that Sam Altman would return as its CEO, days after his shock dismissal plunged the pioneering artificial intelligence firm into crisis. Hundreds of OpenAI staff had threatened to quit following Altman’s sacking on Friday, demanding in a letter released to the media the resignation of the board, as speculation swirled about the future of the company. His dramatic exit also sparked intense lobbying […]

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Korean space race? North and South chase spy satellites

North Korea claimed Wednesday to have successfully put its first military surveillance satellite into orbit, with the South also preparing to send up its first spy satellite later this month. The two launch attempts, set to come in such quick succession, appear to be the beginnings of a space race on the Korean peninsula. Here, AFP takes a look at what we know about the new competition between the North and South: – Why does […]

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Fake AI porn leads to real harassment in US high schools

By Charlotte CAUSIT When Ellis, a 14-year-old from Texas, woke up one October morning with several missed calls and texts, they were all about the same thing: nude images of her circulating on social media. That she had not actually taken the pictures didn’t make a difference, as artificial intelligence makes so-called “deepfakes” more and more realistic. The images of Ellis and a friend, also a victim, were lifted from Instagram, their faces then placed […]

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OpenAI staff threaten mass exodus to join ex-CEO Altman

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 21, 2023 (AFP) – Hundreds of staff at OpenAI threatened to quit the leading artificial intelligence company on Monday and join Microsoft, deepening a crisis triggered by the shock sacking of CEO Sam Altman. In a fast-moving sequence of events, Altman, who was ousted by the board on Friday, has now been hired by Microsoft where he will take the lead in developing a new advanced AI research team. There was talk […]

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Microsoft to hire OpenAI’s Sam Altman after sacking

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 20, 2023 (AFP) – Microsoft announced Monday the hiring of OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman following his shock sacking from the company whose ChatGPT chatbot has led the rapid rise of artificial intelligence technology. OpenAI has appointed Emmett Shear, a former chief executive of Amazon’s streaming platform Twitch, as its new CEO despite reported pressure from Microsoft and other major investors to reinstate Altman. OpenAI’s board sacked Altman on Friday, with US media […]

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US transition to electric vehicles faces delays

By Elodie MAZEIN The US transition to electric cars has hit a speed bump, with concerns about vehicle range and limited charging capacity adding to core affordability issues. Automakers in recent weeks have pushed back EV sales targets and delayed capital projects as they seek to reduce inventories of unsold EVs at dealerships. “The slowdown in EV sales is much more pronounced than it is for other categories of vehicles and that isn’t related to […]

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Investors in OpenAI seek return of fired CEO, US media report

NEW YORK, Nov 19, 2023 (AFP) – Major investors in OpenAI, the company behind hugely popular ChatGPT, are working to orchestrate the return as CEO of Sam Altman, a leader in the AI revolution who was fired in a shock move Friday, US media reported Sunday. Investors as important as Microsoft and venture firm Thrive Capital “are making efforts to bring back Sam Altman,” the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources. Microsoft and Thrive […]

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman ousted in shock firing

By Glenn CHAPMAN SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 18, 2023 (AFP) – Sam Altman, the tech titan behind ChatGPT, was abruptly fired Friday by OpenAI, the company that launched the revolutionary artificial intelligence chatbot. The news of his dismissal caught Silicon Valley by surprise, as the 38-year-old had been hailed as a pioneer and one of the leading figures in the high-stakes world of AI. He said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that his time […]

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News anchors targeted by deepfake scammers on Facebook

By Rob Lever WASHINGTON, Nov 18, 2023 (AFP) – In a Facebook video viewed by thousands, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer appears to hawk a diabetes drug. In another, “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King seems to endorse weight loss products. But the clips are doctored — the latest in a rash of deepfakes that hijack images of trusted news personalities in spurious ads, undermining confidence in the news media. Similar social media posts in recent months have […]

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Meta to appeal over tough EU curbs on digital giants

BRUSSELS, Nov 15, 2023 (AFP) – Facebook owner Meta said on Wednesday that it would appeal the inclusion of its Messenger and Marketplace products in tough curbs on digital giants that the EU unveiled in September. Brussels is working through a dense legislative agenda to build tougher regulation of big tech, arguing it needs to protect European consumers online and to encourage competition in an industry dominated by US giants. In early September, it announced […]

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IBM pulls ads from Elon Musk’s X over pro-Nazi posts

IBM on Thursday said it has stopped advertising on X due to a report its ads were shown next to pro-Nazi posts at the platform formerly known as Twitter. The move came as X owner Elon Musk faced criticism for endorsing an unfounded antisemitic conspiracy theory on the service. Nonprofit Media Matters on Thursday reported that it found Apple, Oracle and IBM ads displayed next to posts touting Hitler and the Nazi Party on X. […]

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